Have had the start of a cold for most of the week, it seems to be coming on strong today so a quiet one today, leading up to the Grand Prix later.
Talking of which, I hope Lewis does OK today. Of the two drivers in contention, I'd rather Hamilton wins, I just don't think Massa is a good enough driver to have a world title. Look at Silverstone - he span 4 times in the rain!
Time will tell, roll on 5pm!
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Not much to say today really, it's been a busy one.
I listened to the Oasis gig as part of the Electric Proms last night. They played the Roundhouse in London and while Liam's voice started off rougher than an dodgy curry, it got better as the gig went on. However, the addition of a large choir added a completely different element to certain tracks, especially the cover of "I Am The Walrus", which has been an Oasis encore track (they usually finish gigs with it) for a very long time. It's brilliant, and for everyone who knocks them as a band would do well to check it out.
Music wise, there has been a lot of Beatles on the go again in the car. I adore "Revolver", but I feel the need to expand the selection on the old iPod so think a few will be added to the old Amazon wish list, in the vain hope someone pays attention to it this year!
I listened to the Oasis gig as part of the Electric Proms last night. They played the Roundhouse in London and while Liam's voice started off rougher than an dodgy curry, it got better as the gig went on. However, the addition of a large choir added a completely different element to certain tracks, especially the cover of "I Am The Walrus", which has been an Oasis encore track (they usually finish gigs with it) for a very long time. It's brilliant, and for everyone who knocks them as a band would do well to check it out.
Music wise, there has been a lot of Beatles on the go again in the car. I adore "Revolver", but I feel the need to expand the selection on the old iPod so think a few will be added to the old Amazon wish list, in the vain hope someone pays attention to it this year!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Jealously is a terrible mistress
So Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand have been a bit daft haven't they. However, the outrage it's caused makes interesting analysis. I'll point something out before I start here though - I'm not a particular fan of Brand or Ross, nor do I dislike them. But I do think they are being treated unfairly in this row.
Day of the pre-recorded broadcast, only 2 people complained. Out of a large number of listeners, only 2 people thought it was offensive. It stayed like that until the press got hold of it. So what are the motivations behind the outrage? Even Andrew Sachs hadn't complained until a journalist asked him about it, and that was nearly 4 days after the broadcast!
Brand and Ross are characters, you like them or you don't. People are using this incident as an excuse to try and force the BBC to get rid of them, which they have managed in Brands case, but I don't think they will with Ross, he is too valuable to the BBC. ITV would snap him up in a minute.
Most people who complained seem to say that "with Ross salary, he should know better", "I resent the money he earns" etc. Now, what has salary to do with it? His position as a senior broadcaster on the BBC has relevance, his salary doesn't - don't let your prejudice for how much you think he is overpaid cloud your view of the issue.
So forget about the money they may or may not earn. Forget about the personalities involved. Base your complaint on what was said and done.
Having read the transcript and listened again, yes, they went over the line. Yes, they said things that would upset a grandfather in his 70s and they shouldn't have done it. Yes, they should be reprimanded for it. Surely we've all been in the pub when a conversation has flowed and crossed the line. But would we get sacked? how does that help anyone? Put it this way, if we all were sacked for making an error of judgement at work, I think we'd all have a different perspective on what the punishment should be. Would you want that hanging over you every day? Nobody would make a decision!
I really despair at the state of this country when a media witch hunt can get people sacked. They may be on TV, but they are still people at the end of the day. If it was you, or your family, or your friend that had been hounded the way the press have, how would you feel? They've apologised, and are properly remorseful about it, move on, nothing to see...
Day of the pre-recorded broadcast, only 2 people complained. Out of a large number of listeners, only 2 people thought it was offensive. It stayed like that until the press got hold of it. So what are the motivations behind the outrage? Even Andrew Sachs hadn't complained until a journalist asked him about it, and that was nearly 4 days after the broadcast!
Brand and Ross are characters, you like them or you don't. People are using this incident as an excuse to try and force the BBC to get rid of them, which they have managed in Brands case, but I don't think they will with Ross, he is too valuable to the BBC. ITV would snap him up in a minute.
Most people who complained seem to say that "with Ross salary, he should know better", "I resent the money he earns" etc. Now, what has salary to do with it? His position as a senior broadcaster on the BBC has relevance, his salary doesn't - don't let your prejudice for how much you think he is overpaid cloud your view of the issue.
So forget about the money they may or may not earn. Forget about the personalities involved. Base your complaint on what was said and done.
Having read the transcript and listened again, yes, they went over the line. Yes, they said things that would upset a grandfather in his 70s and they shouldn't have done it. Yes, they should be reprimanded for it. Surely we've all been in the pub when a conversation has flowed and crossed the line. But would we get sacked? how does that help anyone? Put it this way, if we all were sacked for making an error of judgement at work, I think we'd all have a different perspective on what the punishment should be. Would you want that hanging over you every day? Nobody would make a decision!
I really despair at the state of this country when a media witch hunt can get people sacked. They may be on TV, but they are still people at the end of the day. If it was you, or your family, or your friend that had been hounded the way the press have, how would you feel? They've apologised, and are properly remorseful about it, move on, nothing to see...
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Cowboys? But the spurs have no points?
Well, I have to apologise in advance to the Gorse Fox for this, but I couldn't resist.
As a sample...
Did you hear that Juande Ramos was clocked doing 169mph on the M1 coming back from Stoke? Apparently he was just so desperate for three points.
LINK
Actually, I can hardly laugh, as my beloved Aberdeen are only just a bit better, having won at Falkirk at the weekend to give us a massive points total of 10 from 9 game. Which is still better than Spurs ;-) But with no win from 5 at home, but 3 wins out of 4 away, we're an odd team at the moment. Who knows what will happen. I'm not going to try and explain why it's happening, though losing most of your best players last season and not replacing them with equivalent quality will usually have an effect. It's typical of Scottish football at the moment though, we can't compete with league two sides for wages. Sad, but true.
As a sample...
Did you hear that Juande Ramos was clocked doing 169mph on the M1 coming back from Stoke? Apparently he was just so desperate for three points.
LINK
Actually, I can hardly laugh, as my beloved Aberdeen are only just a bit better, having won at Falkirk at the weekend to give us a massive points total of 10 from 9 game. Which is still better than Spurs ;-) But with no win from 5 at home, but 3 wins out of 4 away, we're an odd team at the moment. Who knows what will happen. I'm not going to try and explain why it's happening, though losing most of your best players last season and not replacing them with equivalent quality will usually have an effect. It's typical of Scottish football at the moment though, we can't compete with league two sides for wages. Sad, but true.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Senior moment
I'm getting accused by the missus of having senior moments these days - I hope I never get like this!
Well, what a fantastic weekend that was.
For a start, I love spending time in Yorkshire, particularly in the small villages that look like they haven't changed in years. While I think it would probably drive me mad over time living in one of those places, I love visiting friends who stay in them. The weather was typically Yorkshire, slightly overcast, sunny, windy, mild drizzle - almost like good Scottish weather really :-) Our friends live about 10 miles north of York, and it's a tiny little place that still manages to sustain two pubs - what more can you ask for! But I adore the pace of life they have and it's always with regret we part.
They've recently had a new baby, so the weekend was different from the usual ones we have with them as there was a new interloper. But she's a real bundle of joy, a giggly little thing who you just cannot not play with and enjoy being around. We headed to York for a bit in the afternoon on Saturday and let the girls go off shopping while the boys took the wee one to the pub (where else...) so we could keep an eye on football (I'll come back to football another day - it's a sore subject at the moment). However we were surrounded by tables of women, armed with Chardonnay, who thought the little one was adorable - she loves an audience and was loving the attention. All great fun anyway, with the day finishing with a superb pub meal in a neighboring village - I've never eaten so much in my life. They don't scrimp on portion size in Yorkshire that's for sure!
Went to Castle Howard yesterday, which is an amazing place. Stupidly, I'd forgotten to pack the camera, and the scenery there is stunning. The workmanship is incredible, you cannot help but admire the buildings, but what is perhaps more amazing is the shear scale of the place. The grounds are massive! Definitely worth a trip back sometime, but with camera this time...
For a start, I love spending time in Yorkshire, particularly in the small villages that look like they haven't changed in years. While I think it would probably drive me mad over time living in one of those places, I love visiting friends who stay in them. The weather was typically Yorkshire, slightly overcast, sunny, windy, mild drizzle - almost like good Scottish weather really :-) Our friends live about 10 miles north of York, and it's a tiny little place that still manages to sustain two pubs - what more can you ask for! But I adore the pace of life they have and it's always with regret we part.
They've recently had a new baby, so the weekend was different from the usual ones we have with them as there was a new interloper. But she's a real bundle of joy, a giggly little thing who you just cannot not play with and enjoy being around. We headed to York for a bit in the afternoon on Saturday and let the girls go off shopping while the boys took the wee one to the pub (where else...) so we could keep an eye on football (I'll come back to football another day - it's a sore subject at the moment). However we were surrounded by tables of women, armed with Chardonnay, who thought the little one was adorable - she loves an audience and was loving the attention. All great fun anyway, with the day finishing with a superb pub meal in a neighboring village - I've never eaten so much in my life. They don't scrimp on portion size in Yorkshire that's for sure!
Went to Castle Howard yesterday, which is an amazing place. Stupidly, I'd forgotten to pack the camera, and the scenery there is stunning. The workmanship is incredible, you cannot help but admire the buildings, but what is perhaps more amazing is the shear scale of the place. The grounds are massive! Definitely worth a trip back sometime, but with camera this time...
Friday, October 17, 2008
Well, an interesting week really. After all the mad rushing about it's been nice to have a bit of sanity restored to the world! Been trying to get the head back into gear for the next piece of work, but as with all these things it can take a little bit just to catch up with yourself - all sorted now though.
Haven't seen that much of the missus this week. She's been doing a lot of driving this week so we've only seen other one night since she left for Worcester on Monday morning, but that'll be rectified today when we add to our carbon footprint with a drive to a delightful village north of York where we're going to visit some friends. The midlands base is ideal for this, as instead of a 6 hour hike up the M1, it's only (in theory anyway, this is the M1 northbound we're talking about!) 3 hours from here. Can't wait to see them as they had a baby girl just 3 weeks before the wedding and despite their best efforts they didn't feel up to the travel, but did watch online via the webcam we had running. Actually, the webcam was well used, what with family in Scotland watching, and the missus old flatmates in Australia and New Zealand who got up in the middle of the night to watch it, texting each other all night as they watched. Technology is wonderful sometimes for bringing people closer together!
Haven't seen that much of the missus this week. She's been doing a lot of driving this week so we've only seen other one night since she left for Worcester on Monday morning, but that'll be rectified today when we add to our carbon footprint with a drive to a delightful village north of York where we're going to visit some friends. The midlands base is ideal for this, as instead of a 6 hour hike up the M1, it's only (in theory anyway, this is the M1 northbound we're talking about!) 3 hours from here. Can't wait to see them as they had a baby girl just 3 weeks before the wedding and despite their best efforts they didn't feel up to the travel, but did watch online via the webcam we had running. Actually, the webcam was well used, what with family in Scotland watching, and the missus old flatmates in Australia and New Zealand who got up in the middle of the night to watch it, texting each other all night as they watched. Technology is wonderful sometimes for bringing people closer together!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Politics
This sums it up nicely to me...
A little boy goes to his dad and asks, 'What is Politics?' Dad says, 'Well son, let me try to explain it this way:
I am the head of the family , so call me The President. Your mother is the administrator of the money, so! we call her the Government. We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People. The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class. And your baby brother, we will call him the Future. Now think about that and see if it makes sense.'
So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said. Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper. So the little boy goes to his parents' room and finds his mother asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed.
The next morning, the little boy says to his father, 'Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now.'
The father says, 'Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about.'
The little boy replies,
'The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep ****'
A little boy goes to his dad and asks, 'What is Politics?' Dad says, 'Well son, let me try to explain it this way:
I am the head of the family , so call me The President. Your mother is the administrator of the money, so! we call her the Government. We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People. The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class. And your baby brother, we will call him the Future. Now think about that and see if it makes sense.'
So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said. Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper. So the little boy goes to his parents' room and finds his mother asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed.
The next morning, the little boy says to his father, 'Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now.'
The father says, 'Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about.'
The little boy replies,
'The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep ****'
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Fish
Well, I was doing some research last night on the fish I'd eaten in Mozambique. For those who know me, this was a big deal as I've only really started to eat fish in recent years, and even then it's not a regular thing as I'm still picky. So if the missus has fish, I'll try a bit and through that I've learned that I really don't like prawns.
But Mozambique was something else. The fish there are big game fish, much meatier and with less fiddly bones to contend with. But the best thing are the names, Wahoo, Prodigal Son and the like. Brilliant.
So I did some reading on these fish. Wahoo (surely the best animal name in the world?) is actually one of the fastest fish in the sea, having been clocked about 60 mph. That's a fast fish! But also quite a big fish at up to 2.5 metres! I'd also add, they are very, very tasty when served with fresh salad, cooked by an open fire BBQ ;-)
Prodigal Son has proved to be more of a challenge. I think it's another name for the Travelli fish, as if you enter Prodigal Son into google you get all sorts, mainly Bible related, but there is not much out there on it. So if you do find anything, let me know!
But Mozambique was something else. The fish there are big game fish, much meatier and with less fiddly bones to contend with. But the best thing are the names, Wahoo, Prodigal Son and the like. Brilliant.
So I did some reading on these fish. Wahoo (surely the best animal name in the world?) is actually one of the fastest fish in the sea, having been clocked about 60 mph. That's a fast fish! But also quite a big fish at up to 2.5 metres! I'd also add, they are very, very tasty when served with fresh salad, cooked by an open fire BBQ ;-)
Prodigal Son has proved to be more of a challenge. I think it's another name for the Travelli fish, as if you enter Prodigal Son into google you get all sorts, mainly Bible related, but there is not much out there on it. So if you do find anything, let me know!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Busy old weekend. Saturday was spent doing "house things". So an early morning trip to deli for some lunch items was called for. The deli is fantastic and one of the things I'll miss about London is the ability to get pretty much anything, at any time, within walking distance of the flat. I mean, with 5 minutes walk of here I can go to the theatre, cinema, gym, a multitude if restaurants and bars - and yet if I'm in the garden it's quiet - just what you need!
Apart from that, lot's of little jobs done really, stripped and painted the back door (which is a job I've wanted to do for ages!), lot's of photo printing as we got so many picture frames and albums when we got married, and are only now sorting them out! It's one of the great things really, we can look back on them all and it still only feels like yesterday.
One thing I have done in the last week was watch Big Cat Diary on BBC1. I was never a fan really, my brother watched it all the time, and as a result went to th Masi Mara on honeymoon, but having been to Africa on safari now, it really gives you a different perspective on just how lucky they are to tape the animals they get. We spent three days tracking leopards, and saw one every day we were there, but yet they get a family with baby cubs, that's very lucky. You also don't get a feel for the area, just how loud it can be with animal noise, and how remote it all feels from civilisation, and watching it brought it all back. I want to go again!!!
A sample of the pictures we took while we were in Botswana:
Apart from that, lot's of little jobs done really, stripped and painted the back door (which is a job I've wanted to do for ages!), lot's of photo printing as we got so many picture frames and albums when we got married, and are only now sorting them out! It's one of the great things really, we can look back on them all and it still only feels like yesterday.
One thing I have done in the last week was watch Big Cat Diary on BBC1. I was never a fan really, my brother watched it all the time, and as a result went to th Masi Mara on honeymoon, but having been to Africa on safari now, it really gives you a different perspective on just how lucky they are to tape the animals they get. We spent three days tracking leopards, and saw one every day we were there, but yet they get a family with baby cubs, that's very lucky. You also don't get a feel for the area, just how loud it can be with animal noise, and how remote it all feels from civilisation, and watching it brought it all back. I want to go again!!!
A sample of the pictures we took while we were in Botswana:
Friday, October 10, 2008
I definitely know where I went wrong with the fire - had it going again last night and got it lit and stayed lit all evening (despite my best efforts...).
Got back to London last night, and after a dental check met up with some old colleagues from WS days. Was great to catch up, and also that our ability to consume beer hasn't diminished! Even while one of our number is on a crutch!
Got back to London last night, and after a dental check met up with some old colleagues from WS days. Was great to catch up, and also that our ability to consume beer hasn't diminished! Even while one of our number is on a crutch!
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Burn, baby burn!
There is nothing like it when it gets cold.
So when I got back to the cottage last night, I set about the wood burner to see if I could get it going. I'd stopped in on my way home to the local fireplace shop who gave me advice on what to do, and some supplies of good quality wood to burn - it needs to be bone dry and this stuff was most certainly that! So after taking some advice from them and buying the necessary logs and kindling, I laid out the wigwam formation in the grate, placed some knotted newspaper in there and got busy with the matches. I'm sure this will get easier in time, but it took me ages to get it going! I think I know where I went wrong though.
Perhaps when I took this picture I'd gone a bit mad with the logs, as it was pretty hot in the cottage at this point, but it's so much nicer than using the central heating! So this will be in use for a good amount in the winter. Especially after settling in with a homemade veggie curry!
So when I got back to the cottage last night, I set about the wood burner to see if I could get it going. I'd stopped in on my way home to the local fireplace shop who gave me advice on what to do, and some supplies of good quality wood to burn - it needs to be bone dry and this stuff was most certainly that! So after taking some advice from them and buying the necessary logs and kindling, I laid out the wigwam formation in the grate, placed some knotted newspaper in there and got busy with the matches. I'm sure this will get easier in time, but it took me ages to get it going! I think I know where I went wrong though.
Perhaps when I took this picture I'd gone a bit mad with the logs, as it was pretty hot in the cottage at this point, but it's so much nicer than using the central heating! So this will be in use for a good amount in the winter. Especially after settling in with a homemade veggie curry!
Friday, October 03, 2008
So, a couple of weeks since Goodwood and what news. Well, the weather is now blooming freezing! I've been subjected to the joys (?) of Farnborough this week, which is a nice 1:15 drive there and the same back every day. However as my wife is there too, we've been sharing the driving, which means rolling out the Polo, which is only 7 months old and still mint (groan!). I like driving it, it's amazing but it changes your driving style completely! You can nip into little spaces much easier with it, and it's pretty good at motorway speeds too, though there is a bit of road noise as you would expect. However, this morning we took my car, complete with it's smooth and quiet ride and leather.
It's at this point I worked out just how cold it was, as I sat back onto the leather in my shirt, only to find the comfortable leather replaced by something I can only assume came out of a freezer. Dear lord was it cold!!!!
Off to a wedding again this weekend, so a nice long drive up the motorway beckons...
It's at this point I worked out just how cold it was, as I sat back onto the leather in my shirt, only to find the comfortable leather replaced by something I can only assume came out of a freezer. Dear lord was it cold!!!!
Off to a wedding again this weekend, so a nice long drive up the motorway beckons...
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Goodwood
For my Christmas last year, my wife got us two tickets for the Goodwood Revival, so yesterday at some ungodly hour for a Saturday we got in the car and went off to Goodwood. The AA reckoned on two hours, we did it in 75...
Goodwood do two events a year, the Festival of Speed which is a massive hillclimb in the grounds of the house, no cars excluded and is a huge event now. Loads of F1, track and rally stars, and has a great atmosphere, we loved it when we went. But this was the first we had gone to the Revival. It's at the Goodwood circuit and it's only for pre-66 cars (although, they bend the rules slightly, if the car was built after that but looked and was mechanically the same, your allowed to run). Everybody makes an effort to dress up too.
Essentially, it's a classic car weekend, so plenty of GP and saloon cars, along with some really expensive motors! I'd never seen a 250 GTO until yesterday, when I saw 4! Two race cars and two road cars (one was apparently Chris Evans, but nobody confirmed it).
Highlights for me were the practice for the RAC TT event, the cars in the field for this race is valued at about $85 million! The pace these guys drive in these cars is full on, no holds barred as it's all ex racing drivers (Brundle was there sharing the drive on Adrian Newey's new toy, a lightweight Jag E-type - which they put on pole), or big petrolheads as most races featured cars from Nick Mason. The other highlight was the last race, which started at 5:50 and finished at 7:30ish. These cars were of a type that raced in Goodwood's old 9 hours races into the twilight, and this was to let everyone see these cars in that same light. Was awesome watching them ping on in that light! Emmanuelle Pirro was flying round in car number 8, an Auston Healey and just thrashed everyone (he lapped he second placed car within an hour!).
Final highlight was the airshow - two spitfires and a Lancaster were the real stars, though the Mustang made a great noise!
Brilliant day, ended a great day by having chips in real paper cones on the walk back to the car park - got home about 9:30 last night with no traffic holdups on route as people had drifted away during the last race so we had an easy trip home. Tired but happy!
Loads of photo's on Flickr, but a sample:
Goodwood do two events a year, the Festival of Speed which is a massive hillclimb in the grounds of the house, no cars excluded and is a huge event now. Loads of F1, track and rally stars, and has a great atmosphere, we loved it when we went. But this was the first we had gone to the Revival. It's at the Goodwood circuit and it's only for pre-66 cars (although, they bend the rules slightly, if the car was built after that but looked and was mechanically the same, your allowed to run). Everybody makes an effort to dress up too.
Essentially, it's a classic car weekend, so plenty of GP and saloon cars, along with some really expensive motors! I'd never seen a 250 GTO until yesterday, when I saw 4! Two race cars and two road cars (one was apparently Chris Evans, but nobody confirmed it).
Highlights for me were the practice for the RAC TT event, the cars in the field for this race is valued at about $85 million! The pace these guys drive in these cars is full on, no holds barred as it's all ex racing drivers (Brundle was there sharing the drive on Adrian Newey's new toy, a lightweight Jag E-type - which they put on pole), or big petrolheads as most races featured cars from Nick Mason. The other highlight was the last race, which started at 5:50 and finished at 7:30ish. These cars were of a type that raced in Goodwood's old 9 hours races into the twilight, and this was to let everyone see these cars in that same light. Was awesome watching them ping on in that light! Emmanuelle Pirro was flying round in car number 8, an Auston Healey and just thrashed everyone (he lapped he second placed car within an hour!).
Final highlight was the airshow - two spitfires and a Lancaster were the real stars, though the Mustang made a great noise!
Brilliant day, ended a great day by having chips in real paper cones on the walk back to the car park - got home about 9:30 last night with no traffic holdups on route as people had drifted away during the last race so we had an easy trip home. Tired but happy!
Loads of photo's on Flickr, but a sample:
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Currently, I'm on a bit of a fitness kick. There is a motivation for this, which is a monetary one, and will be explained later, once the level has been met. This has been helped no end by having a cottage to stay in during the week instead of staying in hotels, which means I can eat properly and not curry and weiss bier all week! I miss the evenings with the team though, and I've not had curry in weeks!
Off for dinner tonight as it's our friends 30th birthday today, he's 30 going on 50 but my suggestion of slippers and a pipe as a present didn't go down well. Some people have no sense of humour!
Off for dinner tonight as it's our friends 30th birthday today, he's 30 going on 50 but my suggestion of slippers and a pipe as a present didn't go down well. Some people have no sense of humour!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Well, that was a hectic weekend!
Friday my wife was arriving to our little place in the midlands, and as I had some time to spare I did an Ikea run to Coventry, picked up the things we forgot last time we were there. Which means tea lights, another beside lamp and a foot stool. The place is looking good, just needs a few pictures up to make it feel more homely. Popped out to the pub to meet up with some friends in the village, and the scientific result is that there is a pub equidistant from both places, a massive 10 minute walk. Which is handy!
Saturday morning a bike ride on the Grand Union Canal was planned, which runs from behind the village from Birmingham to London. We didn't go that far, but it's a fantastic place all of 5 minutes ride from the front door. Back in time to watch the qualifying for the GP, before heading to Stratford with friends to see Hamlet, with David Tenent and Patrick Stewart. It was superb, long but once you tune into what's being said it's very enjoyable. Not my usual thing but would go again. Stratford itself is very pretty, obviously a lot of money there! Dinner was in a very nice place called Lambs, on Sheep St. People in Stratford obviously need to work on the naming of things!
Sunday was a bit lazier, bit of shopping and the GP, and then over to friends for a Sunday roast and wine, and a little celebration as it was 2 years since the now wife and I got engaged. Time flies...
Friday my wife was arriving to our little place in the midlands, and as I had some time to spare I did an Ikea run to Coventry, picked up the things we forgot last time we were there. Which means tea lights, another beside lamp and a foot stool. The place is looking good, just needs a few pictures up to make it feel more homely. Popped out to the pub to meet up with some friends in the village, and the scientific result is that there is a pub equidistant from both places, a massive 10 minute walk. Which is handy!
Saturday morning a bike ride on the Grand Union Canal was planned, which runs from behind the village from Birmingham to London. We didn't go that far, but it's a fantastic place all of 5 minutes ride from the front door. Back in time to watch the qualifying for the GP, before heading to Stratford with friends to see Hamlet, with David Tenent and Patrick Stewart. It was superb, long but once you tune into what's being said it's very enjoyable. Not my usual thing but would go again. Stratford itself is very pretty, obviously a lot of money there! Dinner was in a very nice place called Lambs, on Sheep St. People in Stratford obviously need to work on the naming of things!
Sunday was a bit lazier, bit of shopping and the GP, and then over to friends for a Sunday roast and wine, and a little celebration as it was 2 years since the now wife and I got engaged. Time flies...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Would seem I'm slipping again...
So what changes in 10 days? Well, in the grand scheme of things, not that much! Work's moved on to the new module, which is moving along nicely. Healthwise is a worry, been getting solid headaches most days which the doctor is putting down to tension headaches. I put it down to peering at the laptop screen, so I'm trying not to do that! Seems to be getting better though and not anything more serious. Family health worries no doubt don't help. These things are sent to try us though.
Good result for Scotland last night. I had fears, Iceland is never an easy place to go, but with a bit of a makeshift team the right result came out. Norway at home next, a game you'd think we should win as they only managed a draw with Iceland at home.
Still, it makes better reading than that farce of a Grand Prix result. Amazing race, superb driving skills and very exciting, the best last 5 laps this century even. And then the FIA try and f**k it up by deciding the Lewis cut the chicane and gained an advantage. I'm fed up with the FIA interfering with races in a manner that is not consistent, and nor fair to the viewer. If F1 is a sport, let them race. If it's entertainment, let them race and not become pantomime.
Anyway, an interesting thing came my way about Canon cameras. Turns out, some bloke has worked out how to hack the humble IXUS. The genius bit? It runs on the SD card. Take the card out and the camera is factory fresh. I'll try it out next time I've got my camera nearby. LINK
So what changes in 10 days? Well, in the grand scheme of things, not that much! Work's moved on to the new module, which is moving along nicely. Healthwise is a worry, been getting solid headaches most days which the doctor is putting down to tension headaches. I put it down to peering at the laptop screen, so I'm trying not to do that! Seems to be getting better though and not anything more serious. Family health worries no doubt don't help. These things are sent to try us though.
Good result for Scotland last night. I had fears, Iceland is never an easy place to go, but with a bit of a makeshift team the right result came out. Norway at home next, a game you'd think we should win as they only managed a draw with Iceland at home.
Still, it makes better reading than that farce of a Grand Prix result. Amazing race, superb driving skills and very exciting, the best last 5 laps this century even. And then the FIA try and f**k it up by deciding the Lewis cut the chicane and gained an advantage. I'm fed up with the FIA interfering with races in a manner that is not consistent, and nor fair to the viewer. If F1 is a sport, let them race. If it's entertainment, let them race and not become pantomime.
Anyway, an interesting thing came my way about Canon cameras. Turns out, some bloke has worked out how to hack the humble IXUS. The genius bit? It runs on the SD card. Take the card out and the camera is factory fresh. I'll try it out next time I've got my camera nearby. LINK
Monday, September 01, 2008
So just back from a wet holiday in the UK. A few days walking up round Hadrians Wall was certainly very interesting. You forget that there is also so much other Roman stuff up there to look at as well as just the wall. They were also so very clever with their engineering. For example, they built every fort in the same design as visiting soldiers would immediately know where everything was. That's very logical. They were big into the baths, and you can see the same design for the heating of the water in the forts near the wall as we saw in Crete and Cyprus, with elevated floors for the hot air to get underneath. They also had to build water storage tanks and to get the flow right, they built them at the exact height and size to maintain a constant flow. That's genius, and I know plumbers here who could do with looking into that...
A couple of days in the lakes followed, which has some amazing scenery. It's just a shame that so many people go there, it was mobbed in the towns every day, but quietened down in the evening. If you wanted to park and go walking you had to be there by 10 which wasn't an issue for us. The walking is very good though, really enjoyed it.
All in all, a good week, relaxing and nice to avoid airports for a change!
A couple of days in the lakes followed, which has some amazing scenery. It's just a shame that so many people go there, it was mobbed in the towns every day, but quietened down in the evening. If you wanted to park and go walking you had to be there by 10 which wasn't an issue for us. The walking is very good though, really enjoyed it.
All in all, a good week, relaxing and nice to avoid airports for a change!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Went to Ikea last night to get some stuff for the new cottage. Why is it you ALWAYS have to buy candles in Ikea? We've still got about 500 tealights (and that's not an exaggeration!) left over from the wedding in a combination of colours, but apparently that's not enough! We usually burn 4 at time, so that's going to take us 125 days to get through that lot. Which is a long way away yet!
The new Verve album comes out next week, but they've put it up in full on MySpace so while I've been writing some slides I've been listening to it. It's epic. Proper old school music. It's good to have them back.
My car is in for an oil service today, so I've got a Mini Cooper Clubman for the day. It's good fun, and the interior is still as classy as ever (although I think there were aspects of the old interior that looked more expensive - a fair amount of plastic in this one on the center console.) It's slightly underpowered for me, I drove an old Cooper recently and it was a real rocket compared to this. But then it does have a lot more doors and no more interior space. It's quite funky though, so if I was in the market for an impractical small car, this would be it :-) It does have some very nice alloys on it though - powder coated black JCW special edition wheels, which are at least £1000. I'm so careful parking it, but why on earth would you fit them to a loan car!!!
The new Verve album comes out next week, but they've put it up in full on MySpace so while I've been writing some slides I've been listening to it. It's epic. Proper old school music. It's good to have them back.
My car is in for an oil service today, so I've got a Mini Cooper Clubman for the day. It's good fun, and the interior is still as classy as ever (although I think there were aspects of the old interior that looked more expensive - a fair amount of plastic in this one on the center console.) It's slightly underpowered for me, I drove an old Cooper recently and it was a real rocket compared to this. But then it does have a lot more doors and no more interior space. It's quite funky though, so if I was in the market for an impractical small car, this would be it :-) It does have some very nice alloys on it though - powder coated black JCW special edition wheels, which are at least £1000. I'm so careful parking it, but why on earth would you fit them to a loan car!!!
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