Tortoise Feathers

Friday before Christmas

2011-12-23T18:10:00.001Z

I feel a little bad that it's Friday already. I was sort of hoping for it to feel like I'd had more time off. Ah well, at least Christmas is really on top of us now. There's still time to get a last minute gift or two!

Been so long...

2011-12-22T09:11:00.001Z

I finally have a bit of time to myself! Thank goodness for the festive holidays. More soon...

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T08:33:00.001Z

I've been incredibly busy lately, both at home and at work. At times like these the blog has to take a backseat. Time for reflection and general musing has to go out of the window.
To mark Halloween we have carved our pumpkin and it will be outside tonight to ward off the evil spirits. I believe they are called Jack'o'lanterns in the US? We put a candle inside. I always find pumpkins surprisingly dense. This year I've noticed that the pumpkins seem physically bigger than they have for a few years. I wonder if the growing conditions have been good?
Anyway, time for me to get back to rhe world of work, so have a happy Halloween all!

Sunday Morning Musing

2011-10-16T08:19:00.001+01:00

I watched a bit pilot episode from a series I bought a boxset for from the library about six months or more ago. The series is called Over There. I'd never heard of it before. But I enjoyed what I've seen of it so far. The DVD stopped playing though, so it's either in need of a clean or it might be that the mini-DVD player I was using is a bit too sensitive for it.
I expect I'll be helping with the cleaning of the house today. I also have some work to do and I'd like to have some time to myself but I've probably had that already, it's 8:19am.
Yesterday, my wife and I had some time on our own to do some shopping for Christmas. It's good to get out on our own, amazing how much less stressful it is without the children. Even though I love my kids and don't think they misbehave, it was nice not having to worry about them.
I am using an official iPhone Blogger app to post this. They finally got round to building one, I've been looking for one for a long while and have been surprised they didn't have one. I might have been persuaded to move to WordPress if Blogger was going to remain stagnant. But with the redesign and the smartphone app, I'm settled.
I want to get the iOS5 for my iPhone 4, the iPhone 4s looks good but I won't be trading in my iPhone. I might get my wife the iPhone 4s for Christmas but I need to consider the cost a bit more before I decide. Christmas doesn't seem so far away.

Hue and Cry

2011-10-05T22:40:00.000+01:00

A truly wonderful vocal performance. I loved this band but I always felt they were underrated.

19 Adele

2011-10-04T21:41:00.004+01:00

I love Adele's voice, it is so emotional and powerful at the same time. I've been listening to tracks from this album for some time and it just dawned on me that this calls for a blog entry in my favourite albums category. I don't really have much back story to this post. Except to say one of my favourite tracks on it is a great cover version of a Bob Dylan song (Make You Feel My Love). Infact, I also love Bob Dylan so expect to see some Bob Dylan albums getting the nod on this blog too.
I've heard Adele's normal speaking voice and was quite surprised by it. She sounds very down to Earth and normal, instead of sounding like the Superstar that she is.

Favourite track: Tired

Red - Saturday Scavenger Hunt

2011-10-02T09:54:00.000+01:00

This is late, due to a very long day out yesterday. But here is my entry for the Saturday Scavenger Hunt. We attend a fair number of sport events and there are competitions known as Red Belt Rumbles, so here is my son's red belt. When it is first handed out to the children by the coach and they have to put it on for the first time, it is a great for the children to feel the pride and sense of accomplishment. I love the way they use coloured belts in Judo to reward progression.

Alright, Still - Lily Allen

2011-09-24T20:37:00.000+01:00

This is an artist that on paper, I shouldn't like. However, it is inspite of everything else that I still enjoy the music on this album and her voice, phrasing and songwriting. I love the melodies, the lyrics and the ska beats and horns. There is an Englishness to the songs that appeals to me and the personal nature to them. I know there are some mockney jibes about her and I'm pretty sure that she didn't grow up on the streets in poverty. But my exposure to the tabloids is fairly limited, so I have listened to the music more than I've read about her. I don't like the whole album to the same degree but there are some wonderful songs on this.

Favourite track: Knock 'Em Out

Strife

2011-09-20T22:04:00.002+01:00

Over the last few years I've found life generally more difficult in various ways. I did think long ago that life for me would be sorted once I got a regular job with good pay, a car of my own, a wife, kiddies and a house. I have all of those things and yet sometimes I don't feel any happier than when I didn't have any of it. Life is certainly more complicated the more involved you get. I often say the wrong things or react in the wrong way or even just appear to be thinking a wrong thought and then everything turns toxic. I probably am very difficult to live with sometimes. Short of a personality transplant I don't know what the answer is. At times I just think I'm sliding down a slope and have nothing to hang on to anymore.

Mellow Music for a Sunday night

2011-09-18T22:29:00.003+01:00

Hope you like this song by two great artists.

Big Fat Moon

2011-09-14T21:41:00.000+01:00

Hasn't the moon been big and fat recently? I love the moon when it's big and fat and close to the horizon and there is still enough sunlight before the sun goes down. I overheard a question on the radio this week, asking how much does the moon weigh. The answer was of course some ludicrously heavy amount, actually it weighs nothing but has a mass of several million million kilos.

To be precise : mass of the Moon = 7.36 × 10²² kilograms

The moon is a thing of beauty I think. Something to be observed from a distance, rather than seen up close - I have no desire to set foot on the moon. I do wonder whether man will ever have the resources and patience to venture into space and colonise another planet? We know so little about the universe really. I do find it fascinating to listen to scientists who try to make the complexities of quantum physics understandable to the common man. I wanted to be a mad scientist when I was a young boy, inventing rocket ships and ray guns. I still do have those desires infact. Never going to happen though - I just don't have the processing power in my brain to do calculations and I think you need to have a great deal of brain versatility to become a physicist. Dreaming doesn't hurt though does it?

Mary Lou Lord

2011-09-14T21:09:00.002+01:00

I first heard about this album while reading a glowing review of it in Melody Maker. That particular music paper no longer exists. This was back in the 1990s. It's one of the few albums that actually lived up to the glowing review. It is simple, folksy music but quite charming at the same time. I think all the songs are cute and catchy and deeper than they first seem. I don't know how many copies of this were ever sold, I suspect it wasn't produced in the same quantities as more popular artists, being released on K Records (I think, writing this without it in front of me). I vaguely remember there was some connection with Kurt Cobain and I don't think Courtney Love approved - I believe I even read a news story once that Courtney bashed Mary Lou but that might just be complete nonsense dreamed up by an over-imaginative journo.

Favourite track: The Bridge

The Need for Art

2011-09-11T21:48:00.002+01:00

I realised today that I love art. It allows me to explore the creative minds of other human beings and make insightful connections that would otherwise be lost or trampled. It sounds trite but there is a simple fact in this.I believe that when I'm being creative it actually helps me to relax and understand myself, and possibly others, better. For too much of the time I'm stressed about work or other stuff. I sometimes think how peoples lives change, go in unexpected directions, not through their own choice. And I wonder if anything like that will happen to me. Or will I carry on and keep going as I have been for the last few years. I don't have any answers to the question, of course. But it must be nice to do what you love every day, instead of doing what you have to, in order to earn money. Art can be an escape from the humdrum of reality. I like that too about art.
I'm pleased that P.J. Harvey won the Mercury Music Prize this year, I love her work, it's so original and interesting.

Today is the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon. I was at work when it happened back in 2001, I remember seeing a photograph on the web of WTC1 with smoke pouring out of it - live streaming of the BBC website was not possible since so many browsers were trying to access it. At first I could only accept that it was a terrible accident, a plane hitting the tower. I thought the terrorism theory was just scaremongering. Then the second plane hit and I could scarcely believe it. It was beyond my comprehension, beyond the realm of real life. Then the tower's collapse, to be followed by the collapse of the second tower. The terrorists could not have known that their attack would prove so effective. It is so shocking to be alive and watching something like that. In 100 years time it will be in our history books. May all the victims of that day rest in peace and the people who survive them find the strength and courage to live their lives day by day with a place in their hearts reserved for loved ones lost.

Let me introduce my new feature...

2011-09-09T22:04:00.002+01:00

I've introduced a new label tag to this blog, if you select the tag 'albums' you'll start to see my posts of albums I consider to be very good. In each of these posts I will tell a story or say why I think the album is so good and I will include my favourite track or tracks.
Who knows, you may even read the entry and consider a listen, if it's not an album you've heard - or you might agree or disagree with the album by the band or track on the album. If you feel strongly, why not post a comment?
This is going to be a pretty permanent feature because I have so many great albums and discover new ones all the time. I hope you like reading these and that it inspires you in some way or other...

Paranoid - Black Sabbath

2011-09-09T21:52:00.001+01:00

I can listen to this album all day and never get bored. As the starting point for a new feature of this blog, I can't think of a better way to begin. Sabbath came up with so many great riffs in their early albums, it seems like they must have made some kind of pact with the devil (of course, they did no such thing and actually thought a lot of the black magic brigade at the time were nutters). The story of the band is well known, Tony Iommi's fingertips cut off in a machining accident and Ossie Osbourne working in an abbatoir, coming together in Birmingham in the West Midlands. It is close to my the town of my birth and I think there is something in the fact that the area was known for iron and steel and black smoke billowing out of furnaces and foundry chimneys. I still remember the constant sounds of a machine press a few doors down from our house in the street. This album reminds me of my childhood and happy memories.

Favourite track: Hand of Doom

Midweek

2011-09-07T18:38:00.000+01:00

I don't normally post on a Wednesday. I don't know what has gotten into me! I have enjoyed a nice couple of days without work on Monday and Tuesday this week. On Monday, I enjoyed the last day of the summer holidays for my daughter. On Tuesday I did the same with my son. Both are now back at school for the autumn (fall) term. Their next holiday is the last week of October, I want to take some leave to spend a few days with them then - so I have something to look forward to.

I keep feeling the urge to write but keep pushing it away and finding other things to do. I mean "write" as in story writing or something but at the same time I feel like I wouldn't be able to create something I'd be happy with. The hardest thing is to start writing - I used to have a book that contained lots of little writing activities designed to let the imagination roam free without having to worry about producing anything. I was told once that writing is like exercise, if you don't do it frequently you don't get any fitter. I'm not sure the analogy works 100 per cent but I think there is some truth in it.

A Golden Oldie

2011-09-04T23:48:00.003+01:00

Back to school week

2011-09-04T23:34:00.003+01:00

Posting this using Blogger's new user interface. It's very clean and simple so gets a thumbs up on that score.

This week my kids go back to school. My daughter starts at her new school on Tuesday. I'm going to be around on Tuesday but I work away from home for a couple of days. I find this difficult as I'd really like to be around for her for a few weeks, but working from home a couple of days is already a luxury I have: guess I can't push my luck too far!

I feel like this time of year signals the run up to Christmas. Programmes like X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and that ilk are all starting their run up to Christmas, so that they can pull in advertisers. My sons birthday is in a few weeks and a month after that it's Halloween, then Bonfire Night. That's when the dark mornings and dark evenings kick in.

We got our heating sorted last week. It gets warm really quick, that might be because it is already warm enough though! We are having a lot of rain but it isn't too cold with it.

I have a couple of days off tomorrow and Tuesday, I'm pretty glad about that.

I'm starting to think about Christmas.

New

2011-08-27T14:00:00.000+01:00

I feel like I've got a new Netbook. But I haven't, I'm still using the one I bought a couple of years ago. Last night I restored it from the recovery partition again, for the second time since owning it. You see, I counted up all of the applications I had installed and the list was HUGE. I was using it just like I would a notebook/laptop and I never intended that I would use it like that. It was taking longer and longer to load Windows and then I would have to wait while all the applications loaded, including things like the antivirus package and my anti-Spyware protection loaded. So basically, it was taking like-forever! Hence the decision to wipe it and start again. Now I have a fast loading Netbook again and I've only installed the minimum necessary software. There are a couple of programs I need to add but my email, office, social networking, blogging, bookmarking apps are all online and accessible through my favourite browser: Google Chrome. I feel cleansed and so does my Hard Drive.

We visited the town this morning and picked out a Hitachi stereo/CD/FM radio/iPod sound system for my daughter. She is starting to get interested in music of her own choice. So the time is right for her to have her own music system. We've had music players in the kids room before but they were mainly for our own use, now she has her own room as an 11 year old she has a clearer idea of what she likes to listen to. It wasn't all that expensive and the sound is quite good. I tried the speakers on the shelf but they actually sound better on the floor with their backs to the wall. I think that has amplified the bass.

It's match day 3 of the new football season. My team is West Bromwich Albion, they are playing tomorrow, rather than today like some other teams. I've been playing quite a bit of a football video game series called FIFA, it's published by Electronic Arts and at the beginning of all their games they have someone say "It's in the game", which I find a bit funny. I normally find that football games get very very cheap much quicker than other types of videogame. I think it's because the teams move between leagues each season and clubs change team members during the transfer season. So when you buy a new football game you expect it to have up-to-date teams and players. At least as up-to-date as at the start of the season at any rate. But I found this morning that I was able to create a new tournament and add the current crop of teams to it, so I might not have all the current players in the teams but I can mirror the teams that are in the current season's league.

Not much to post about

2011-08-21T20:56:00.000+01:00

This is probably going to be a random post, as I don't seem to have much to say about anything. We're still sorting through stuff we brought with us when we moved. At least I can say its in the garage and not in storage where we would be paying for it. I found out where our local recycle centre is, after taking a few wrong turns. I briefly looked at Google Maps before I set off and the signposting to the centre wasn't, well it just wasn't - at least not from the direction I was travelling. The wrong turns did lead to to find a country park and a local wood, so I don't feel too bad about losing my way; sometimes a wrong turn helps in some other way (a bit like life!). The recycle centre itself was smaller than I've used before but it had a better feel to it. At our old centre I used to feel that the staff were a bit sharp, meaning I felt some trepidation before putting my rubbish in the skips, occasionally I would get one of them shouting I was putting something in the wrong skip. I know it's their job but I hate being told off.
I did a bit of gardening this weekend with my wife. Putting some slate chips down around the shrubs on the front garden, had to buy 8 bags and boy they are heavy! I did some digging in our back garden, which is much bigger than our old one. It's got some borders, grass, a stepped area and a patio. I would like to work out a design for it, my wife doesn't think it'll ever happen but actually I can't see her agreeing to what I've got in mind anyway. I like gardens that have secluded areas and interesting things. The garden centre where I bought the slates from had these ornaments that were zombies climbing out of the ground - just the head and arms as though they were rising from the grave. I thought they were quite cool but my wife would never have one.

second week back

2011-08-15T23:21:00.000+01:00

It's the start of my second week back at work since my holiday. How the time goes by!

The holiday was good. At first I thought it wasn't going to be. But it always takes a day or two to settle, at least it does with us. After that you begin to realise that you're somewhere different and that you might as well enjoy it. I'm pretty positive and always look for the good but my wife at first is more sceptical. I wouldn't say she is negative generally but she is certainly quite negative at first when we go away and either the hotel or the apartment is new to her, she tends to notice the things I would gloss over. However, after the first couple of days she relaxes and we have a good time. Same thing happened this time and actually, even though I was worried it would be too hot and that there wouldn't be anything to do it turned out that was the good part. Lovely hot weather, water and a great time on the beach or by the hotel pool. My kids enjoyed themselves and I read a Michael Connelly, a Nicci French and a Stieg Larsson book, which is quite unusual for me to read so quickly. I preferred to read than watch TV.

Since being back from holiday, I hit work on the Monday and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. This is now my second week back. I finally managed to walk into my new local town and although its smaller than our last town, it is actually a lot pleasanter. There are lots of charity shops and lots of smaller shops that are local people offering craft and other stuff. A new party shop was opening on Saturday and they must have booked an Elvis impersonator to open the store, even the town Mayor turned up and started to dance with people. It was quite good to see that.

Sorry to end this on a downer but we think our fridge has a problem. It makes no sound and doesn't seem to refrigerate properly. The door seals are good, the freezer compartment works and the light comes on when you open the door. It just doesn't seem to be refrigerating as constantly as it should. I think it might be expensive to fix.

It's the little things...

2011-07-27T19:09:00.000+01:00

I was chatting to a colleague at work this afternoon about how small things you don't expect can have big consequences and might sometimes lead to death. For example, I guarantee that when I'm moving cables or trying to plug something in, at least one cable gets snagged around something meaning what should be easy becomes a lot of effort to try and reach and un-snag. Or when carrying a heavy box, my foot might hit something I didn't expect like the roll of a floor mat kicked up at the corner. Or perhaps I'm trying to move a box between rooms and it's just too big to fit through the door because one of the flaps is out and I haven't got a hand free to hold it in. I bet there are hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths each day due to small snags like that but in more extreme circumstances. Or perhaps not even extreme circumstances, I think there is some crazy statistic that suggests a number of people each year are killed by their own clothes. Imagine being killed by your own trousers! My own bastard trousers! I'm sure there must be some comedy value in that notion. I wonder if anyone has been killed by their own bra?

Where is summer?

2011-07-26T18:40:00.000+01:00

Here are some thoughts I blogged earlier today...

I thought we were supposed to have fine weather this week, if the sky doesn't clear I don't see it getting any warmer.
I'm in a waiting room at the train station. A lady opposite me keeps yawning really deeply. On my journey home yesterday I sat opposite a lady who fell asleep with her head back and her mouth wide open. I had the mischievous thought that she looked like an inflatable doll as might be found in a adult catalogue. She wouldn't have thanked me for that thought, I'm sure.
The train announcer has told us that the train is delayed. That's a pain. I bought a fruit salad from a new stall just before the ticket barriers. I've eaten it but the fruit was very bland to be frank. I think that's the trouble with fruit salad, the flavours don't sit well together if you leave it too long. I don't think I'll buy the same thing again from the stall, even though the seller was pleasant enough.

Monday commute

2011-07-25T21:33:00.000+01:00

Here's me posting something what I wrote on the train this morning...

I woke this morning, realising it was Monday and the weekend was over. A bit disappointing considering the weather is so nice. We're on holiday next week and I bet the weather is going to be unusually great here, meaning we could just as well as had the hot weather and not have to have spent a fortune on going away. I keep telling myself we're going to have experiences we couldn't have in this country. We're going to experience a different way of life for a week: you can't get that staying at home. That's certainly true.
I'm on the train at the moment. This is only my second journey from my new local station. It's a busier station, there are more places to catch a train to. I am lucky to get a seat. I didn't last week. I think a lot of people are on holiday for the next few weeks. I'm starting to think I should have taken more leave and had two weeks this summer. Never mind, at least I can take it at the next half term.
My journey is approaching it's end, I'll soon be walking in the sprawling metropolis that is the capital city. Another week begins....

Summer 2011

2011-07-20T20:18:00.000+01:00

Hello all, what can I say but it's good to be back. I've been extremely busy in my work and home life since March but finally I feel like I can start to come back to the process of living life instead of worrying about where my family and I are going to live. We moved house 5 days into July and we're still in the process of trying to sort out boxes and boxes of possessions. The good thing is that we're very happy to be where we are and the house is really great. It does feel odd living somewhere where we all have enough space but it's nice at the same time knowing that it's a place we can grow into.

We were without the Internet for about a week and that really made a difference. It's hard to imagine life without the web. Fancy saying that 30 years ago, you'd get some strange looks. We're all connected up now, so I hope to be able to keep this blog up-to-date again.

My final thoughts for tonight are about looking forward to the holidays. My children break from school in two days and at the end of next week we fly to Spain for our holiday. I'm a bit excited and a bit fearful. I'm excited because it is somewhere different and will be a new experience for us as a family to be abroad. The last time we flew my son was just two years old. And I'm fearful because I feel the pressure of being the one who books the holiday, so if it doesn't meet expectations I'm the one who gets the blame. There are four people to please, including myself, and that's not an easy balance to get right. What happened last year was that I booked somewhere and it didn't meet expectations: I thought my wife would just return home after the first night but she stuck it out and by the end we were alright and even enjoyed ourselves: I know that sounds crazy but believe me it can be difficult when you don't get a lot of time off work - I think it takes a few days to unwind your springs and get into that holiday mood. My wife and I aren't lazy beach bums, so it will be out of character for us to do nothing. But really, that's my intention. Buy a nice reading book and just relax as much as possible, letting life go on around me while I chill. The only issue might be what to do with the children. I hope they are able to do the same. I suspect not though, they are like us in that respect! Ah well, at least it will be interesting no matter what.

Not Removed At All

2011-06-05T16:58:00.000+01:00

I have been pre-occupied with moving house, that epic is still to finish running, but in the meantime I thought I would just visit my blog to check it out this afternoon. I was shocked to discover that it had been removed, the reason was apparently suspicious activity on my gmail account. So I've resolved that but I'm at a loss about the removal of my blog. I have managed to restore it but I don't need a shock like that very often, I'm not afraid to tell you.

I hope I will be able to blog regularly again soon. In the meantime it will be on an ad hoc basis.

The Return

2011-04-27T23:22:00.000+01:00

My dear blog friends, I thought I would post an update since it has been so long. I am sorry I had to neglect my blog for a while, the pressure of different things was getting on top of me and I had to simplify my life. The things are:

My daughter's school appeal
Our decision to put our house up for sale
Finding a new house
Talking to mortgage lender and estate agents
Starting a big new project at work before completing the last one
Starting a new project for our local judo club

As you can probably guess, my daughter's schooling and our house move have been the biggest areas of concern for me. It's a massive decision and change for us. The process of buying and selling takes a long time we're finding out. I literally haven't been able to deal with so many things happening all at once. There have been things I've had to say I can't or won't do in order to be near home and family. Some of these things have been very painful, such as declining an invite to a friend's wedding in May. That really upset me. But I know that sometimes in my life, I just have to batten down the hatches and ride out the storm - and that's exactly what my life feels like at the moment.

Thank you for your good wishes, I hope to be back soon. I would like to give you some news on the house move when I can.

On Hold

2011-03-28T21:49:00.001+01:00

This blog is on hold while I try to sort out life. Back soon.

Teddy Thompson

2011-02-28T22:14:00.001Z

Imperial War Museum

2011-02-28T22:05:00.001Z

On Friday, I took my son to the Imperial War Museum in London. We had a good day and it was really great to see the exhibits. There were lots of things he was too young to understand though. I could do with going back there by myself. The World War 1 trenches experience was quite unsettling for him, he doesn’t like smelly places and it was a bit smelly and dark and about as realistic as a museum experience of that kind of thing could be – so it had the desired effect of making him think again about what the reality of war really means. He did ask the lady in the shop if they sold any toy guns afterwards though.

I liked guns and war related things at his age. I had lots of plastic and metal toy guns as a child, there were a lot more opportunity to buy toy guns when I was younger. Military themed toys have become less popular in general and while you can still buy military action figures it seems harder to buy toy weapons then it used to be. With my son, we have tried not to introduce toy guns into the house but he just makes them out of Lego instead. With so much glamorisation of war and violence on the TV or in films I don’t know how we’re going to avoid him being exposed. It is worrying but I guess we just have to make sure he appreciates the difference between fiction and reality.

End of my long weekend

2011-02-28T21:33:00.001Z

Well, these are the final minutes of my long weekend. I finished work last Thursday and haven’t done any work since then, at least not physically but I have thought about it. It is strange how thoughts of work occupy nearly all of my waking moments even if I don’t want it to and also it seems a waste of life to have my thoughts filled with something that I know is totally inconsequential to my life outside of work. A lot of my work is “of the moment”, by which I mean it is about small details that get passed between teams and that are important while they are important but are not necessarily things to get wound up about in and of themselves. Work seems just like a succession of these things, each quickly forgotten when they have been used.

Baby Gaga ice cream?

2011-02-28T21:21:00.001Z

Do you like ice cream? How about some made from human breast milk, would you buy it? It was being sold in a posh restaurant in Covent Garden for £14 ($32) and comes served in a Martini glass with an injection of liquid nitrogen and a Rusk. I would be a bit concerned to eat something that was someone else’s bodily fluid. It was apparently health-screened but exactly what screening was performed? I think the thought of it puts me off more than anything else but whereas babies need a high concentrated amount of nutrients and fat, adults certainly don’t. Just because breast milk can be used to make ice cream it doesn’t mean that it should be and just because some people can afford to pay that much for a dessert it doesn’t mean they should be able to. I have a problem with the whole idea on a number of levels but then I wouldn’t pay that much for any dish of ice cream.

Middle East Crisis

2011-02-21T21:48:00.001Z

Crises may be more accurate. What is happening in the Middle East? There does seem to be some kind of people’s revolution sweeping through to democratise parts of the world that have been ruled by regimes that have been in power a long time. If these are emerging democracies their birth is certainly painful but in some ways it seems inevitable, I only hope that the deaths are not in vain and that true democracies are infact emerging.

Not a busy blogging fortnight

2011-02-21T21:25:00.001Z

We are well into February and I see that I’ve not done much blogging this last fortnight. I don’t really know why I go through this cycle, it seems to happen every month. I start with good intentions but then work and home life intervene and the time I have available for blogging just seems to disappear.

I missed The Brits this year, so not much to blog about there! Tinie Tempah did well though, I did like one of his songs that I heard on the radio a lot last year so will probably check him out when I get the opportunity to listen some more.

Egypt

2011-02-12T21:15:00.001Z

The whole Egyptian popular revolt thing kind of escaped me I’m afraid, I mean up until this week I knew there was unrest but I didn’t really sit and watch the news. So I had no idea of the political analysis of the situation. It’s a shame in a way that I am so dumb when it comes to international affairs. I don’t really think there is any excuse for my ignorance, there are so many channels for news these days.

Well now that President Mubarak has been ousted from power after 30 years perhaps someone else can do better, 30 years is such a long time for one man to have that kind of power. It had to come to an end at some point. Shame he held on too long that he was no longer welcome. I hope for the citizens of Egypt and all the children there that a new peace can shine on the land. Such a beautiful country that is so so important historically to mankind.

Gary Moore RIP

2011-02-06T21:38:00.002Z

I learned this evening that Gary Moore was pronounced dead today. He died apparently whilst in his sleep on holiday in Spain. He was a great guitarist, one of the best. I first heard of Gary Moore back in the eighties. I loved the Out In The Fields era. The first song I really remember hearing from him was Shapes of Things, a track that made me think this band is special. I don't know much about the track but I have a strong feeling that I heard once it was a cover of someone else's song.

Indiana Jones

2011-02-06T18:09:00.001Z

My son is a big fan of Indiana Jones and who can blame him? I think the films are an excellent set of adventure stories and Indiana is a true hero. Today I watched the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with my boy and it has something of a reputation for being one of the weaker films in the series. Having watched it properly though, I am not so sure about that. There is still a good proportion of action and mystical adventure. My son likes it and while it probably isn’t my favourite, it is still a pretty great adventure ride for a Sunday morning.

My son is interested in aliens and alien abduction at the moment. I remember my brother being interested in UFOs and the unexplained in the 1970s. I used to own quite a number of paperback books about UFOs – handed down to me from my brother. Including the works of Eric von Daniken, I thought Chariots of the Gods was very interesting. I’m a little more sceptical as an adult now though and I think science has come a long way since the sixties.

Great Little Ideas

2011-01-31T23:18:00.001Z

I’ve watched series where chefs tell you how easy and simple cooking is. I’ve read their books and other cookery books that describe recipes as easy or simple. The truth in my experience is that their recipes require food that is not in the ordinary household cupboard and fridge. I haven’t found a book that makes cooking easy for me. That’s why I am something of a fan of the Great Little Ideas website. I’m not precious about making my own sauces, indeed it’s exactly things like making sauces that use up lots of unusual ingredients that are costly and not easy to find in the average house, so I usually use ready made sauces in jars or cans in my cooking for convenience – and there are lots of options for combining sauces with fresh vegetables and stuff. I know that Great Little Ideas is like adverts for products but they are products that are easy enough to find in the house and they are ideas for trying different things without making me feel like a failure in the kitchen. I may not be adventurous in the kitchen but I do want to make tasty food and for my family to enjoy what I produce within a budget. So I’m a fan of the site.

John Barry, RIP

2011-01-31T23:01:00.001Z

It’s a sad day for music. Composer John Barry died. I loved several of his compositions. The James Bond films contain some of his most well known pieces. A composer who can create so many great scores is rare indeed. For me, his music made me take notice of film scores. He was a master of his craft.

Sunday evening

2011-01-30T23:06:00.001Z

It’s Sunday evening and the end of another weekend. This one has been fairly quiet but it has been pretty good. It started with a nice trip to go shopping on Friday evening, which made a change from the usual Friday end-of-week collapse into bed.

Saturday and Sunday were spent just getting things done and organising my netbook and iPhone. I’ve found a free application that I think is quite amazing – more on this after I’ve got some more use out of it and can give you a true review.

I’ve been reading quite a bit more recently. Both using books printed on paper and e-books (nope, I haven’t got a Kindle but you can download a free Kindle application and free e-books). I don’t mind reading from a screen, I know some people don’t like it but it feels okay to me.

I watched the pilot episode of Twin Peaks again last night, it’s funny but I don’t know why it seemed so exciting first time round. I was a bit bored watching it, to be honest with you. Yet at the time, I thought it was really on the cutting edge.

I wonder what this week will have in store? Have a good one folks!

Video Call of the Future

2011-01-26T20:16:00.000Z

Here we go again. Another week and it's mid-week. Goes by fast enough doesn't it? Your born. You live a bit. You work a lot. You die. It's stark but true.
I'm currently away from home on business. I did manage to successfully have a video-call through Skype with my daughter this evening, which was quite exciting. It does make a big difference when you can see the person you are talking to. I don't think I really appreciated that as much before tonight. I've used video-phone style technology for work but when comparing it for work use against use for personal reasons, I feel it becomes so much more important to see the person at the other end in a personal call. It means a lot. That was just through Skype, so I can only imagine how great Apple Facetime calling must be - you do need two iPhone 4s for that, which is the downside. I heard something about Apple bringing out a new iPhone this year. I love mine, I feel like I've wasted a few years not getting one before. That's the problem when new stuff just seems so damned expensive that it puts you off.
Anyway, I hope the rest of the week goes well for you all.

Blue Mood

2011-01-23T20:37:00.001Z

This weekend has fallen flat on its arse. I thought I was going to enjoy it more than last weekend because Sunday was relatively free. My wife wasn’t around much on Saturday, having planned a trip to London to see the show Wicked almost a year ago with friends. I looked after the kids, I did have an invitation to go and see a friend’s new house he’s moved into with his fiancé. but I didn’t feel like it – mainly because I haven’t seen my friend for several months and I didn’t know who else would be going and whether they would have children and blah blah, I could go on but they are just excuses for my own awkward shyness. It was after 7pm when my wife got back and after a day with the kids, I just didn’t feel like going out and meeting anyone new. So I didn’t go, I did buy a card to welcome them to their new home and will post that tomorrow for them. Now it’s Sunday night.

I feel like I’ve squandered Sunday away, we didn’t get up very early and then when we did, we went to Costco. The roads were busy, Costco was busy and we didn’t really buy very much, but just about enough to justify the trip. Had a disagreement about eating food there with my wife, which kind of spoiled the day as well. So I just feel a bit deflated knowing that tomorrow is Monday and it all begins again.

M.R. James

2011-01-18T22:42:00.001Z

I’ve recently discovered some radio shows on the BBC iPlayer that are narrated ghost stories from M.R. James. About 15 minutes in length they are ideal for bedtime. I find M.R. James’ stories quite cerebral and not horrific in the gory sense and I suppose I find them unsettling or disturbing more than horrifying. I confess I don’t know what the M.R. stands for or the gender of the author, infact that shall be my next Wikipedia look-up!

Was that a weekend?

2011-01-16T21:51:00.001Z

What was that? Oh, a weekend? I missed it! My wife was working part of Saturday, so we got up early to run her to work and I took the children into town to get their haircut. I had to juggle my two children in two shops but that went pretty smoothly and fortunately neither had to wait to be seen at that time in a morning. We popped into the library before having to go and take my son to his swimming class. After that I took them both to the supermarket and selected the family shopping for the week, then back home to make us all some lunch. My wife called and asked to be picked up at two in the afternoon, after which we again pulled into town but this time to select some new glasses for us both. She made her choice of new frames faster than I did, so she took the children off while I finished up.

Late afternoon and evening I was doing finance stuff for work, which took about 6 hours. I stopped at 11pm because of having to get up at five the next morning. So Sunday was spent mainly as a passenger and a spectator. My children were both competing in a Judo Mini-Mon. Both came back with medals and some useful experience under their belt. When we got back got, I had a mountain of washing up to do – we don’t have a dishwasher sadly.

So it seems this weekend was one lost to complete functionality, with almost zero creative input from me! Shame that, can I have my two days off again on Monday and Tuesday though?

Led Zeppelin I Anniversary

2011-01-12T20:53:00.001Z

42 Years ago (a fine vintage), this album was first released. I bet they didn’t ever really think that the band would be so well known and successful in another 42 years. Here’s the band from 1969 all fresh faced and young.

Eye Test…New Specs are in the Offing

2011-01-09T22:41:00.001Z

I went for a routine eye test today. I am short-sighted and have worn glasses since I was a teenager. My eyes are in good health and my prescription has changed only very slightly. My current glasses are 3 years old, so it is time to change them. I went for quite a radical visual change of style last time and it felt good to change my appearance a little. I’m not sure what sort of style to go for now. There is an offer of buy one pair get one free, so I may go with a mix of one pair quite visually strong and another pair that are more conservative.

Christmas Holidays Final Day

2011-01-04T07:42:00.001Z

After allowing myself the luxury of sleeping in, today I set my iPhone alarm for 6.30am (I saw a news report of the iPhone alarm software bug for 1 and 2 January) and it went off and I got up. My wife was up already, she’s a morning person anyway, but I think she was a little stunned by returning to work. I read a story yesterday that suggested we would suffer Social Jetlag due to a variety of factors, such as a long period of not seeing work colleagues and late nights and morning lie ins. I’d never heard of Social Jetlag before, I hope it doesn’t become a popular expression. I decided that even though I wasn’t working today (because the children don’t start back until tomorrow), I would make the effort to get used to the clock again. I can see why getting out of bed early is useful but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I know today will go quick and then tomorrow it will all be for real and the holidays will be quickly forgotten. On the whole, we had a nice Christmas. The fact that Christmas and Boxing Day were on weekend days does make it feel unusual and I think the Bank Holidays also meant that shop staff got more of a break this year, even if it meant they started later and finished slightly earlier. We’d all been working really hard right up until the finish, so we needed the break but I think conscientiously there is a slight feeling of guilt that we completely put work (and school work) aside for a bit.

I just feel like going back to sleep now but no, must keep going to make the most of my last holiday day for three months or whatever it is until Easter…

Holiday

2010-12-31T13:50:00.001Z

Well, I did it. Before Christmas I took myself up to the travel shop and spent a while with a nice young lady. A couple of weeks later I went back and spoke to another nice young lady. They clicked their mouse buttons and we talked and looked at options. Eventually I decided on a surprise family holiday destination. I was going to keep it a secret until the day of departure but I’m not good at keeping surprises. My family are even worse. They just don’t like not to be informed about what’s going on. I could have kept the whole thing secret of course and not said anything. But I was absent for several hours and would have had to make up white lies and remember what I’d said, so keeping secrets from the family is a difficult task. After they knew I’d booked a holiday the questions came and kept coming, so I decided that I would let them know on Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve I prepared a slide presentation on my netbook. On Christmas Day, just before leaving to visit the family I plugged my netbook into the big television and gave them the presentation. They seemed to be pleased with my choice. Thank God!

I haven’t spent this much on a holiday since our honeymoon. And I certainly haven’t booked one so far in advance of the time before either – I know this time of year is quite traditional for buying holidays but I really don’t usually indulge in holiday booking until at least March. However, I hope this holiday will be great. It’s in Spain near to Barcelona but not actually there, so I’m hoping for hot weather, lovely beaches and lots of good lounging around, playing in the water and general relaxation with my family. My son was a bit worried about flying but he seems okay about it now, I can sympathise with a certain anxiety over flying myself but mainly at take off and landing times. I do think about disaster movies when flying though.

Hope everyone has a great New Year celebration tonight, my best wishes for the New Year to all of you.

The Status Quo

2010-12-31T13:38:00.001Z

It feels like this year has gone by and nothing has really changed on the surface and then again under the surface change has been happening. My daughter is 11 years old in six months and I’ve certainly noticed her becoming more of a young person. My son is 8 and he is becoming more mature in his thinking and is getting physically stronger.

When I talk about the status quo I am really referring to the fact that I haven’t changed jobs and we haven’t moved home. The change of home is becoming ever more an urgent requirement and I’d really like to progress that this year, even if nothing happens to my job. I said pretty much the same in the autumn of 2009. That’s quite depressing in of itself.

I have a feeling, nothing more than that yet, that something is about to change for me on the work front but I can’t quite put my finger on what will happen. I don’t feel able to be proactive on that front though, which is worrying me inordinately.

I hope a house move will help to shift me from this depressed feeling. I’m not clinically depressed yet, I don’t think, but I do feel like I am on a gentle slope down and not sure how resilient I would be if I got a few knocks. I think this feeling is probably what a lot of other parents feel who have been married for 10 years and have children who are getting older: in other words, I think it’s the Middle Age Malaise. Admitting I’m middle age is bad enough but the fact that it doesn’t feel wrong or out of place as a description of me is even worse. Definitely need to feel differently about this age thing…

Creativity

2010-12-31T13:22:00.001Z

I don’t spend any time on creative writing. It’s a real shame because I enjoy it and I’d like to do more of it. I tend to use my family and work responsibilities as my excuse however, there is time in the day to do creative writing but I choose to spend it on other things like playing videogames or web browsing. So, I think my first New Year resolution is to begin a campaign of weaning myself away from other stuff in order to devote more time simply to writing.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T09:48:00.001Z

This Christmas the temperature was really down and the snow that had fallen in the previous week was still around with no sign of thawing. My annual leave began on the 23rd. I had a cold before the start of the holidays and it hasn’t gone away, even now. The snow has gone though, the temperature has climbed to 6 or 7 degrees.

The final two days before Christmas were busy, we went with friends to Berkhamsted for lunch and then watch on to the film The Polar Express in The Rex, a lovely old cinema where the owner appears on stage to introduce the film and the kids can collect cushions to sit on from the foyer. The Polar Express is a bit of a crazy film isn’t it? Some of it didn’t make a lot of sense to me, it is a bit like a train ride through a dream.

On Christmas Eve we travelled to High Wycombe to watch a pantomime, we usually go to see a pantomime on Christmas Eve. This year it was Peter Pan. We saw the earlier matinee showing this year, a bit of a relief with the weather being so bad – I was hoping that it didn’t snow again and luckily it didn’t. Seeing the earlier show meant we could slip quickly out of the car park and get home early enough to ensure we didn’t have to wrap presents past midnight. Our kids were eager to get to bed. My 8 year old son had “practiced” sleeping the night before, he said so he was ready. They did fall asleep pretty quickly bless them.

Christmas and Boxing Day are a bit of a blur, we slept in a bit and went round to my wife’s mom’s for lunch and the afternoon and generally had a couple of family days.

This week has gone by all too quickly. On Monday we went and did some shopping. On Tuesday we visited my parents. It was nice to see them again, it has been a few months longer than I’d have liked this time – weather, health and other stuff has prevented me getting up to see them. They live a couple of hours away, so it’s not easy to just pop in like it is with my wife’s mom.

Wednesday and Thursday and probably today went and will go very quickly. We’ve done some walking into town and back. Not too much of anything else really, apart from eating and resting. Tonight will probably be a quiet night, as it usually is for us since having young children. We haven’t invited any friends over for drinks or anything. Hope your New Year goes well if you’re celebrating and if not, I hope it passes pleasantly into 2011 for you whatever you decide to do.

Stornoway - Fuel Up

2010-12-30T13:37:00.002Z

Weathering the Storms

2010-12-21T22:59:00.001Z

There are only four sleeps until Christmas, can you believe it? The snow here in the UK has been pretty bad recently, we had some on Thursday/Friday last week and again a big load fell on Saturday. The temperature outside has stayed below or at zero degrees centigrade, so the snow has stayed on the ground. It is affecting shopping, travelling and all aspects of life really. It is also really cold in the house, even with the heating on. Snow looks pretty but it really disrupts normal life.

I’ve had a rough week in many ways, I’ve had a stinking cold and because I’ve been rundown, predators in the form of cold sores have caught me on my top lip. At least they are on their way out. I wish my cough was on the way out, that seems to be lodged quite happily. I’m starting to get headaches from coughing all the time and never being able to clear my throat to breathe properly.

At work things are difficult too. A colleague is behaving in a very negative way and is bad mouthing the work I and another colleague of mine are doing. Every couple of days I find out about a fresh attack and we’re diverting energies into responding to these rather than getting on with our work. I am finding it very draining and there doesn’t seem to be a way for us to put pressure back on her, she is more senior. We’re trying to remain professional and calm through it all but I’m really starting to tire and I don’t want to work with the person anymore. The problem is that I’m supposed to be working with her on the next project also.

It’s A Book For Our Times

2010-12-12T13:10:00.001Z

I liked this.

Cyber War I

2010-12-12T12:53:00.001Z

It is interesting watching the story of WikiLeaks evolve into Cyber War I. It seems to me, as a casual observer, that it is not necessarily WikiLeaks that is the problem, rather who got hold of the information and thought of the idea to pass it on to make all the dirty linen public. It is obvious that there is a lot of pressure, a hell of a lot of pressure, being applied by the authorities to close down WikiLeaks. What is even more interesting is the support for the site from freedom of speech groups and also some individuals who are trying to coordinate cyber attacks on well known sites that have responded to the pressure from the US.

I sit on the fence, leaning towards freedom of speech but I can’t condone cyber attacks or physical violence at all. If this Cyber War develops, I think it will results in an Internet that is less free than it is now. Anyone who thinks that the Internet is a free space now is a dumb ass – everything done online can eventually be traced back to you, just remember that. There will be actions taken to prevent this kind of attack that will restrict what we perceive as freedom on the Internet now. The Internet is just a channel. It is a world wide channel and that is both the value of it and the problem with it. I think inevitably there are some misguided, easily led people, who will claim that they are attacking the corporate, commercialised, authoritan Internet. They are just deluded. Others are probably just criminals who would hack sites anyway.

Feeling like Christmas yet?

2010-12-11T17:52:00.001Z

It’s been a while since my last post. Some weeks are like that. Never seem to find the right time to sit down and do the blog thing. This weekend is a bit of respite from rushing the children around. My daughter has been doing a woodwork course on Saturdays during November but that has now finished. They have both been unwell with colds and coughs, so have missed a day at school. My son isn’t well enough to go swimming today, so we have had a pretty lazy day. We did go out and buy a new Christmas tree. We looked at the real ones first, I like real the natural trees but my wife was concerned about the cost and the space one would take up – even a short tree can have a big diameter near the bottom. So we bought a slim artificial tree in the end, it was reasonably inexpensive and came with it’s own lights and decorations. We had our own sets of lights and baubles but it’s always useful to have spare ones. The tree now looks nice, tall and compact in the corner of the room, pretty but also not taking up too much space of its own. I like Christmas trees, considering the tradition isn’t that old it is remarkably effective. I can’t imagine Christmas feeling the same at home without a tree. I’m not a great fan of corporate Christmas trees however, they feel a bit impersonal to me.

There is Christmas music in the shops now and on the radio. I see the big supermarkets have lots of party food in stock. It all looks good but is all very packaged and processed. I don’t feel very Christmassy at all I’m afraid. I hope I get the feeling soon.

Children’s Books

2010-11-28T08:25:00.001Z

I was looking at this list of top 10 best illustrated children’s books with a bit of doubt this morning. I don’t see any Judith Kerr (The Tiger Who Came To Tea, Mog etc.) or Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Busy Spider etc.) or The Gruffalo or a Lucy Cousins (Maisy mouse). There are undoubtedly many more missing, it is difficult to only list 10 but I think you have to include some of the most popular books of all time in there. I love looking at children’s illustrated books – some of the best books can be so deceptively simple yet they talk with a universal language to children everywhere: that’s a rare thing indeed!

December Rising

2010-11-28T07:05:00.001Z

It’s funny how fast December rolls around. It doesn’t seem that long ago since September was here. It really does feel like winter now, this week has just got so cold and horrid. My wife and daughter are off to a big competition today, while I stay at home with my son. He has homework to start and I have some errands and chores. I know the time will go quickly and then it will be Monday again before the weekend has really gotten started. At least that’s how it feels. I really do wish I had more holiday time away from work. Work can be so stressful at times that I just think it is too damaging to be there. I’d much rather just potter around, doing what I would like to do. Things like take up painting, drawing, writing poetry and music, listening to great music, writing, watching TV and films – some people do this stuff for a living, can you imagine getting paid and being famous for that kind of stuff? I wonder if the people who do achieve success in these realms actually think the same as I do about my job now, or do they enjoy it just as much as if they were only doing it for themselves?

Something to look forward to …

2010-11-27T22:04:00.001Z

I saw yesterday that a new Tom Clancy novel is about to be published. I didn’t really know who Tom Clancy was until a few years ago. The first Tom Clancy experience I can remember is the time I played a computer game called Rainbow Six. I can’t remember how I came to have it, I don’t remember buying it – perhaps it came with a software bundle? I don’t know. In the game you have to plan a sequence of moves in various locations to attempt rescues of hostages who are being held by terrorists. In the second stage of the game you get to play as the SAS and storm the building to clear rooms. The second experience was probably reading the book Red Storm Rising, which I actually really enjoyed. I have read many more of his books since then and have enjoyed them. So a new Tom Clancy book is something to look forward to.

Feel that chill…

2010-11-26T08:08:00.001Z

The weather yesterday turned into a brittle chill. It has gone so cold. Some places of the UK are experiencing snow, I hope we don’t get any. My wife and daughter have to travel on Sunday and I don’t particularly like the thought of them driving if the roads are dangerous, especially as they have to leave before dawn. My daughter is competing in an international sport event, so it will be difficult enough having to leave home so early. The thought of them getting stuck in a snow drift isn’t something I want to entertain.

My daughter’s 11 plus exam results are out today also. I hated finding out about exam results when I was younger, mainly because they were usually disappointing. I think in general I have an exaggerated sense of hope in my abilities. For my daughter, I just hope she ends up happy with what she gets and which school it ultimately leads her to.

Have a nice weekend, at least we can work today with the knowledge that it will be over by this evening for a few days.

Gig night

2010-11-21T23:12:00.001Z

Friday’s gig was excellent. Joanne Shaw Taylor is a really great guitarist and singer. It has been a long time since I have been out to a gig on my own. I’m really glad I made the effort to go out, it was so worth it. I bought her new CD and got it signed because she hung out in reception to see the fans and do some signings.

The last two weekends have flown by. We have been busy taking the children to different things. After I finished work on Friday this week, I walked into town with my children to meet my wife and go out to a restaurant for dinner. It was a nice end to the working week and a nice way to begin the weekend. I hope you all had a great weekend too.

Joanne Shaw Taylor

2010-11-14T22:21:00.001Z

I’m going to see this lady play on Friday night, I can’t wait to hear her blues guitar.

Christmas is looming larger

2010-11-14T22:10:00.001Z

We’re almost midway through November and the shopping is getting harder. People are getting more manic as Christmas looms. The shops are openly stocking Christmas gifts. It won’t be long before Christmas muzak is piped through the sound systems wherever I go. I don’t know if I like this part of Christmas, I do like the German markets and aspects of traditional Christmas events. It is probably too early to talk about Christmas but I know that some people have already bought all their gifts already. Not me. This year, we’re supposed to be making our own Christmas gifts: I have no idea what to make for any of my family.

Bonfire night

2010-11-11T23:12:00.001Z

We had a great weekend last week, went round a friends house and then walked across fields in the dark to a fireworks display. We then went back for food and drink. All very civilised, a pleasure.

My son competed in a Judo competition on Sunday, he lost both his fights but I don’t think his mind was on the job. He was also a lot lighter than his opponents. There was a girl from our club there who won a gold medal because she won all five of her fights. It was one of those times in life you don’t forget. I don’t expect she will forget it. I know her circumstances and I can’t say she has an easy life, so for her to win like that it brought tears to my eyes, it was fantastic. The thing is, she would have had a smile on her face even if she had lost, she’s got that kind of spirit.

My back is well on the mend, yesterday I tried a rucksack for my work laptop and I think it has been much better for me than the shoulder bag, which pulls me to one side.

The weather has been rather unpleasant recently, cold and wet (and it’s been dark when I’ve left the house and dark when I get home). Quite miserable really.

November cometh

2010-11-02T23:08:00.000Z

We're into November now. The weather will get colder, mornings and evenings darker. Soon it will be time to fetch the heavy bed cover from the top of the wardrobe and place it on the bed. It feels like it has been a long autumn, it has been fairly mild here this year and doesn't seem to have rained as much. I don't like the cold. The only advantage the cold offers is that bed feels more snuggly and warm in the morning, trouble is you have to leave the bed to get up and go to work. Our children are also busy most weekends in November, so I don't see many opportunities for relaxing long lie ins.
I think my back felt almost like I could forget about it for parts of the day today, which is a good sign I feel. I hope I get a better night sleep than I did yesterday. It was hard to get comfortable last night and I overslept this morning. It was a bit of a rush, I don't want to rush around tomorrow. I'm travelling for work and won't be back until Thursday. I hate having to work away but a job's a job.
I've been sitting down with my son for him to read to me regularly. Tonight I was impressed that he continued until the end of his current book. Normally he only wants to read one chapter. I hope the regular sessions are helping him, he seems more willing to have a go at saying some words whereas I feel my daughter would rather just skip a difficult word. Some of the kids books are pretty dull and some are really good.

Catching up

2010-10-30T14:35:00.001+01:00

Finally have some time to catch up with some blog stuff. I was thinking about what I would do if I just handed my resignation in at work. It was a nice little fantasy. Back in the real world there is stuff to pay for, so the slog continues.

My wife has been doing some Christmas shopping this week. I heard some other ladies talking and they too are preparing for Christmas. It seems really early to me to be thinking of presents but I suppose Christmas isn’t so many weeks away when you think about it. Especially if you have relatives who you have to post a parcel too. It is better to be prepared in those cases than to leave to the last minute. Same is true for friends you only see at or around Christmas. I’ve learned over the years that it is also worth having a few surplus gifts for those surprise times when you want to give a gift to someone who surprises you by turning up out of the blue after months and months. There are also those occasions when you receive an unexpected gift from somewhere you didn’t expect and you want to respond in kind.

I’ll probably watch a scary film this weekend for Halloween, haven’t decided what to watch yet. I do like Halloween though, I wished it lasted longer though. There is a gothic festival in Whitby, Yorkshire I was reading about last night. It sounds like a lot of fun. Whitby was the place where the boat that held Dracula’s coffin was bound in Bram Stoker’s novel. I love that book.

Back to back

2010-10-27T20:50:00.001+01:00

Last Friday I tried to get up and out of bed but I was in a lot of pain. It was my back. I couldn’t stand without terrible pain. I called in a favour and got a friend to take the children to school. I managed to speak to my doctor and get some painkillers, she gave me some exercises too.

I’ve found the exercises help and today stopped taking the tablets, I’m still stiff and the pain continues but nothing as intense as before. I’ll just have to see how it goes. I’ve been told back pain can affect anyone at any time. I haven’t suffered anything like this before. I have felt twinges since the summer but I’ve just put them down to the way I’ve been sleeping or something. They have usually gone away until this week.

It does make me feel very vulnerable, having my mobility just taken away so suddenly like that. I’m just glad it is returning now. I’ll have to keep the exercises up and I may look into a chiropractor or Yoga.

Fool on the hill

2010-10-21T22:15:00.001+01:00

LB posted a favourite Beatles song of hers on her blog recently, it has inspired me to do the same. I enjoy all the popular Beatles songs but this one in particular has stuck with me this year, before 2010 I don’t really remember hearing it before but as it’s The Beatles I suppose I must have heard it at some time.

Blinkbox

2010-10-21T22:02:00.001+01:00

I watched the first episode of Andromeda at the weekend on Blinkbox for free. I enjoyed it, never having seen it before I was pleasantly surprised. It did get me thinking I should perhaps give other US Sci-Fi series a go – such as the Star Trek spin-offs like Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space Nine. They seemed to pass me by for one reason and another. I’m sure there are other Sci-Fi series that I would like but missed out on totally.

I watched the Kick Ass at the weekend too. I thought it was going to be poor but it was much better than that, better than I imagined it would be. I wouldn’t say it was great or anything but it could have been a lot worse. The story was pretty good, it was a bit out of the ordinary with the little girl being so violent and so foul mouthed it was amusing in a way that made me feel slightly uncomfortable.

I bought a book at the weekend, Just My Type about modern type faces we all use, their designers and their history. I like to know things about the design of type, it is one of those things we just all take for granted.

Fireworks

2010-10-21T21:46:00.001+01:00

I was driving home last night and was at a roundabout when I saw some fireworks going up into the sky about a block and a half ahead of me. They were really pretty, professional sized ones – I don’t know what the event was but it must have been a pretty big affair. I was watching for about 10 to 15 seconds, waiting for cars to go past before I could join the traffic but perhaps I took my eyes off the cars and watched fireworks for 3 seconds when the horn of the car behind me beeps. I mean, really, some folks should just take a chill pill and not be so impatient. I hate driving at night because car headlights are so bright and the roads I travel on are so narrow and wind around bends. Then you get cars driving too close behind with their lights that seem so bright in my wing mirrors. I really dislike night time driving.

This weekend I’m hoping to take my children up to see my parents. It’s been quite a number of months since we’ve seen them. It will seem so strange and yet it should be the most natural thing, I wished they lived closer to us or we to them. I regret that I don’t live closer to my family sometimes. I’ve been feeling nostalgic of late. I don’t know why that is. Perhaps I’m feeling old? It does seem that way lately with my back playing up in a morning, I feel about ten years older than I should.

The Slog part 2

2010-10-21T21:38:00.001+01:00

Last time I did any writing here feels such a long time ago! Things haven’t changed very much, next week I have booked a day off on Friday. My children are on half term holiday, so at least they get a break from school.

The weather has gotten colder this week. The leaves on trees are a beautiful red colour now, there are parts of this season that are really lovely. Work still feels like a slog to me, there are new pressures all the time.

I was shocked at the spending cuts this government are making, it seems the poorest are bearing the brunt. I imagine the arts are going to be hit hard because they are always a soft target. Somehow though, this country seems to excel when it is under pressure. I feel sorry for the children of the poorest people though. To some, the fear of losing housing benefit must seem feel like a terrible burden. I’d hate to be in that position, we are lucky to be where we are in these austere times.

Fifa or PES

2010-10-10T19:02:00.001+01:00

Two very popular football (soccer) videogame franchises have released their new season videogames this month. I have always been a Fifa man, ever since Fifa 2003 on Playstation 2 came out and blew my socks off with it’s realism. Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) doesn’t have the licenses to use the real club names and kits but the likeness of players is there and there is something a bit endearing about the guesswork you have to do. However, I do prefer playing as the proper teams. My vote goes to Fifa, I just think it’s the better game at the end of the day.

The Long Slog

2010-10-10T18:49:00.001+01:00

Just at the moment, there is a long slog going on in my life. It is the long slog until Christmas. A slog of work and cooking, shopping and cleaning up after the children. Don’t get me wrong, there are breaks and I am grateful for them. But I do feel it’s a bit of a slog because I only get so much holiday a year and in the need to conserve it for taking at Christmas, I have to work several months without a break. My back is playing up and it is contributing to a feeling of inertia, with work and other things getting on top of me. I just have to carry the burden and slog through it all. The weather is going to get colder, nights darker quicker and the mornings will seem earlier and earlier. My, I’m a cheery soul this evening aren’t I?

The One Show and Daybreak

2010-10-10T09:00:00.001+01:00

There is a weekday programme on every evening (7pm) called The One Show and a weekday morning programme called Daybreak. They are on two different channels – one on the BBC and one on commercial television. So one has no advert breaks, while the other one does. The One Show got relatively good audience figures. My theory is that this is mainly due to it being on at a time when people have come home from work and children’s programmes have finished and have gone to bed. Adults can just slump on the sofa and will watch any old innocuous crap, which is exactly what The One Show offers with a touch of light humour.

However, there were two presenters, a man and a female co-host who might have felt the audience were engaged in watching them. It seems this was the case because the commercial channel offered them a deal to revamp the Daybreak show and switch allegiance to the other channel and they moved (both of them).

Now, it seems the audience figures for Daybreak have dropped. You could argue that the same blend of innocuous crap and light humour that was perpetuated in the evening doesn’t seem to be working for the early morning viewers. Having seen the previous morning programme I’m not sure the needs are that different. In the morning, you have young mothers who have been up during the night, are tired and want something light and innocuous that they can watch while making breakfast, feeding babies and so on.

So, my conclusion is that the presenters are less important than they think, so the amount of money they get paid is grossly exaggerated and not representative of their value.

Pads

2010-09-28T22:18:00.001+01:00

I’ve seen a number of pad computers being launched recently. I’m not sure about the pad. I prefer to have a proper keyboard. I don’t see the death of the mouse anytime soon but I know some have predicted it. On the other hand, I enjoy playing with gadgets: so if the price point is affordable I might be encouraged to splash out on one. At the moment though, it is too early to tell whether they will be useful enough.

Labour Leader

2010-09-28T22:12:00.001+01:00

I have seen some of the Labour conference in Manchester and in particular the new leader Ed Miliband. I am not very impressed really, I haven’t been interested in politics for a long time and I don’t see that changing. I don’t see any great charisma in this young leader.

Place of my own

2010-09-27T06:31:00.001+01:00

Birthday Monday

2010-09-27T06:27:00.001+01:00

Another Monday but my son’s birthday today. Hope he enjoys the gifts we’ve bought – I’m sure he will. Birthdays during the school week aren’t quite as much fun as during weekends. But I’m sure he’ll enjoy the day.

We had quite a quiet weekend really, the children had homework to complete and I had some work to do for the judo club. So we did some shopping. The weather wasn’t too great for cycling, so we gave it a miss this weekend.

I began watching the Book of Eli film last night but haven’t yet finished it. Gary Oldman always seems to play baddies.

Changes

2010-09-23T06:46:00.001+01:00

There are several changes happening at the moment for me. The mornings and evenings are getting dark much quicker. The week so far has been mild and relatively sunny however today seems to be dark and wet.

Aside from the weather, my work routine is starting to change. I’m travelling to a different office one day a week, it breaks up the week a bit which is okay but I haven’t settled into a pattern yet.

My youngest is starting to get regular homework and it feels like schoolwork is beginning to get serious now. We’re reading at home and I will try to encourage reading and writing for pleasure at home – balancing that with TV and the Wii will be a bit tricky.

My oldest is choosing her big school (secondary/high school) and has to take an exam, she is one of the youngest in her class. I worry what will happen because the schools vary so much in their quality. Some schools are selective so they cream the most academic children, it seems so unfair. It seems too young at 10 to take exams and for such an important thing. The exam is meant to measure ability, so isn’t focused on things you can revise, despite some parents putting extra pressure on their kids. It might seem hypocritical but we have been paying for a private tutor once a week too, that is really just helps a bit with confidence though. I have to confess I am not an academic and didn’t do that well at exams, I have a vocational mind rather than a purely academic one. Probably one of the reasons I haven’t gone back into education during my adult life.

A quiet day

2010-09-20T22:50:00.001+01:00

Last night I didn’t feel well at all; streaming nose and headache. This morning I had jippy guts and felt like death warmed up, so I took the decision that it was better I rest at home than try and work. So today I did just that, had quite a nice chilled out day. Did a bit of this, a bit of that, had a little nap and felt better afterwards. I don’t think this cold is going away anytime soon but it was good to have the day off sick and not have to compete with the rest of the world at work.

Tomorrow is probably going to be a different story. I will still have the cold but I won’t get any sympathy and I’ll be expected to catch up. Oh well, at least I’ve had one chilled day this week.

Monday update

2010-09-13T22:00:00.001+01:00

The weekend was quite busy for me, we attended another Judo competition on Saturday and my daughter came away with a winners trophy for her weight group. She’s got quite a good collection of them now, bless her tough little cotton socks.

I’m creating a relational database for another local club, so that is forcing me to re-acquaint myself with database design – something I’ve not done for a few years.

We went for a cycle ride as a family on Sunday morning, it was good to be out in the fresh air.

Today, I felt de-motivated at work because of the way a senior manager communicated. You’d think these people in high paid positions would know how to handle people wouldn’t you? Maybe I’m being super-sensitive? I’d like to just say what I think but I know it’s not worth it.

A song about a bike

2010-09-09T21:58:00.001+01:00

I’ve always liked the strangeness of early Pink Floyd, this tune is one of the more accessible ones…

A Strange Occurrence

2010-09-01T08:10:00.001+01:00

A couple of times a week I have to catch a particular train for work. In order to do that I have to drive through a village that is apparently one of the most haunted in the county. I’ve never really paid a lot of attention to that before but something happened yesterday that has never happened before to me in quite the same manner.

I was driving along, through the village and was nearly out of it. There is an old cottage with a thatched roof that one year was memorable because it had a thatched spider on top of it. It was a cold but sunny morning and there was condensation on my car when I first started it. But just at the point going through the village near the old cottage the temperature must have dived really suddenly because in a matter of seconds my windows and wing mirrors went from crystal clear to opaque with condensation. It was so sudden I almost began to panic until I realised it was external and I could use my wipers. My wing mirrors took several minutes to clear.

I just it was very odd to experience that sudden drop. Although it could be explained scientifically I’ve no doubt, part of me is susceptible to the notion of the supernatural having some kind of effect. Especially in old villages with probably some unsavoury history.

Final Day of the Holidays

2010-08-31T22:42:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow represents the final day of the school holidays for my family. I have taken the day off and my wife has to work. So I have the children to do exciting things with. I haven’t really got a plan of what to do with them yet. It’s a little sad when it gets to this time of year but then again it’s progress – onwards and upwards as they say. Now I have to think about what to do tomorrow.

eBooks

2010-08-31T22:35:00.001+01:00

I recently downloaded a couple of eBook reader applications for my netbook. I figured my netbook is similar in size and weight to a hardback book. I downloaded a small app that rotates the display, so I can read eBooks using the Netbook on its side, open like a book. Amazon’s Kindle is available to buy in the UK and is at a pretty good price point, it also has good online connectivity and looks like a good value package. Somehow though, I’m still not totally impressed by eBooks. Or the range of choice of books available. I’d heard that some libraries are loaning eBooks on memory sticks. I do have an uneasy feeling about eBooks, in the same way that I had uneasy feelings about internet search engines. Are these contributing to a decline in libraries and library services or just part of a technology shift? I’m not sure. Reading off a screen isn’t like reading off paper and holding a book in your hand. I don’t know about Kindle, maybe that would be an improvement over a backlit screen.

Oh Sherrie

2010-08-30T22:27:00.001+01:00

I loved the album Street Talk by Steve Perry when it first came out, so many great songs. I re-acquainted myself with the album through iTunes this weekend. I love this track but have never seen the video until today.

Cycling again

2010-08-30T22:15:00.001+01:00

This weekend I was back on my bike following my unfortunate accident last weekend. I bought a cycle computer that gives me information like speed, distance, average speed, time, stopwatch, calories burned and a few bits of other information.

We cycled 13 miles today, to a nearby village and back. The weather was just right. I’m glad I had this extra day for the weekend to enjoy with my family.

A Bank Holiday Beckons

2010-08-25T20:55:00.000+01:00

I find it hard to believe that September is almost upon us. Seems like it was only yesterday that we were into summer. I traditionally like the run to December, I like looking forward to Christmas. I like the trees as their leaves change colour and the bright but cold morning sun. I like less the rain, the damp, the cold and the frosts and fogs. I'm glad we have seasons though, it would be too boring if the weather was the same all year round.
On Monday, we have a Bank Holiday in the UK - a non-working Monday. I like these, weekends of 3 days length should be the norm in my opinion. I also have wednesday off next week. So that means I will work only 3 days, which can't be bad.
This weekend I hope to be able to get back on my bike. I won't be overdoing the speed though.
I've been playing a lot of the game Professor Layton and the Curious Village videogame on my Nintendo DS Lite; if you enjoy puzzles and brainteasers I heartily recommend it.

Crash, Bang, Wallop!

2010-08-23T22:30:00.001+01:00

I knew it couldn’t last! I was enjoying cycling too much to be true. On Saturday, while enjoying a short cycling trip with my family I decided to impress my son with a burst of speed and left the path. I accelerated on the grass verge and my plan was to rejoin the path. Unfortunately, I didn’t account for a rut between the grass and the concrete path. My bike hit the rut and went one way while I went the other and crashed down hard on the floor. Fortunately, I was wearing a helmet. Even so, I found myself dizzily standing up not knowing what had hit me. The reaction of my wife and kids was instant and very caring. So, I’ve damaged a pair of glasses and have plenty of grazes including on my face and a black eye. I guess these things happen and I should feel grateful that I walked away relatively alright instead of having to go to an Accident and Emergency Department. It does go to show that speed can be a dangerous thing. It hasn’t deterred me from cycling but I will be taking it easy from now on. Lesson learned.

A Short Weekend

2010-08-16T08:03:00.001+01:00

It feels like it has been a short weekend, my first since returning to work after the holidays. Two days rest just doesn’t feel long enough.

We did cram a lot in though. I had a boys day with my son on Saturday as my wife and daughter had to leave early for a judo competition. My daughter is getting on really well with the sport, she beat her opponents to win a gold medal, a testament to her skill is that she had to fight in a weight category above her and the girl she fought in the final was 6 kilos heavier and head and shoulders taller. She was taller than my daughter even when standing on the podium. It’s not always size that matters though, as my daughter proved.

I took my son swimming and to the library. We bought the ingredients for a boys burger lunch and cooked them at home. We played with Lego, watched a DVD and played some videogames. Just chilling out.

On Sunday, we all went out for a family bike ride. It was great. The weather turned out really nice and we rode to another village and back after stopping in a park that my kids love to play in. Funny how you notice other riders when you’re out yourself, I don’t notice cyclists so much when I’m driving out and about unless they’re directly infront of me on the road. I’m not going to be buying a Lycra suit any time soon though, I’m riding for pleasure not for racing. There was some story in the BBC website about MAMILS (Middle Age Men in Lycra – a story about middle aged men who buy road racing bikes instead of cheap Japanese sports cars). My son found some of the journey hard though because his bike is a youngsters one and doesn’t have gears. If we can afford it, we’re going to see if we can buy him one with gears sometime soon so that he’ll find the going a bit easier and we can go further. I did feel for him but to his credit he kept going despite complaining a bit. We cycled probably about 10 miles, nothing too heavy but due to the weather we had a great time and got some exercise.

I hope you all had a good weekend too.

Netbook Disaster Recovery

2010-08-16T07:49:00.001+01:00

Just before going away I was running some checks on my Netbook when I found it had an infection – my suspicions were raised because Google results always took me to shopping sites or other search engines rather than the pages I was selecting and it would not let me go to the Windows Update site, this prompted my scans using the Microsoft website and I was unlucky enough to find out I had some kind of mallware infection. No thanks to my security software though, which continued to report no issues affecting my machine throughout the whole episode. Advice on various websites suggested the best removal practice was to wipe the hard drive and reinstall Windows. After backing up my data, I did this.

The reinstall went OK, although there were a lot of updates to install again for Windows and it took several days to download and install the applications I use regularly. I’m still sometimes looking for something that I’ve either got to reinstall or pull off a back up disk but at least I’m operational again.

With reinstalling Windows my big fear is usually about whether I have a recovery disk. With a Netbook there is no optical disk. Fortunately the good people of the Internet provided a solution and I actually found I had a recovery partition on my hard disk that handled it for me. It’s usually an unsettling period though when wiping a disk and starting again. Now I’ve done it though, there are some benefits in terms of speed and also clearing of clutter. I like a fresh install, reminds me of the thrill of starting to work with a new PC. Is it nerdy to admit that?

Back from hols and back to work

2010-08-09T22:56:00.001+01:00

Last week we were on our holidays at the seaside. It was good to be some place we hadn’t been before. The beach was lovely and we walked a long distance every day. As a birthday present for my wife recently my daughter asked me to buy Walk With Me for the Nintendo DS Lite. It comes with two pedometers that you wear everyday and at night can compare your activity rhythms with your partner. There are some games you can play – one is called Illuminate and it shows your Mii’s on a walking machine and the Mii’s walk while the time goes by over their heads and when you both maintain an activity level at the same time they shout “Synchro!” and eventually you can illuminate a town. It’s good fun and we walked A LOT while on holiday – my left leg ached so I don’t know how our children managed it – except that they are really fit and I’m not!

On Sunday morning my daughter and I went out on our bikes for a really satisfying ride. The weather was lovely.We rode along some of the cycle routes that have been created in and around the town. We rode to my kid’s village school and back. It took 40 minutes to get there, taking our time and just leisurely cycling. It was good to be out getting the exercise.

I was back at work today. The fear of being away always seems to overpower the actual experience. I hate coming back to work after a break though.

Bike Crank

2010-07-31T23:52:00.001+01:00

My family and I went cycling this afternoon. But unfortunately my son’s pedal crank had worked loose without my noticing and it came off. So without tools to repair, we had to cut short our ride. Shame, I had been looking forward to riding my new bike a bit longer. We were all quite tired though, after not getting back from London until after midnight (my wife and I) and the kids stay up later during the holidays than they would at school.

Holiday Beckons

2010-07-31T23:49:00.001+01:00

We travel down to the coast on Monday. I’m looking forward to being away somewhere new for a while. I have to think tomorrow what I want to take with me. I’ve a couple of books I could take and my PSP. I have a drawing pad and some pencils. And not to mention the video camera and the stills camera. I also need to think about the journey and what snack food we’ll be needing. Motorway food can be ridiculously expensive, so I think is best avoided spending lots of money on food if we can.

I hope the sea air recharges all of our human body batteries. My back is slowly regaining its strength, I’ve been applying Ralgex for the last couple of days to ease the pain a bit – I don’t know if it’s helping or I’m just getting better on my own accord. Oh well, the end result is the same.

Friday Night by The Darkness

2010-07-31T08:13:00.001+01:00

This song makes me smile and I hadn’t seen the video until today, I wish all rock videos were this amusing.

Theatre Night

2010-07-31T07:32:00.001+01:00

For my wife’s birthday this year I planned to surprise her. I asked a friend of ours to try and find out which shows she was interested in seeing. My wife loves musicals and seeing West End shows. She loves walking around London in summer evenings when the streets are crowded and there is food and music all around and people having a fun time. So our friend mentioned a couple of shows a few months back and I took a gamble and booked one of them without really knowing anything about it or doing the normal amount of research. My wife also likes to try and book quite a long time in advance to get seats near the front. I got stalls seats that were two rows from the front, so good or bad we would be able to watch closely.

The plan came to fruition last night, the babysitter (my mother in-law) arrived early and it all clicked into place. We both had a good time and it was nice to be doing something different on a Friday night. It was also nice knowing that her birthday was the next day and that in a couple of days we would be going away to the seaside for our holiday. She loved the show, we both did. It was in the Prince Edward Theatre London , which was a lovely theatre – the show we saw was called The Jersey Boys. It was the story of The Four Seasons, latterly Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Very well acted and sung by all the cast with wonderful stage production and direction and amazing set design.

I found out that my wife likes surprises to an extent but she found it a little uncomfortable until she knew the nature of the surprise, so I had to drop little hints this week just to settle her a bit.

Achievements

2010-07-29T20:43:00.001+01:00

This week has been enjoyable and productive so far. On Wednesday we cleared the loft of a number of items that had been hanging around too long. My wife also threw out our old Christmas tree and I think is secretly excited about buying a new one to replace it.

Today I sorted out the sitting room, it was becoming my sons play room: he was turning it into that and my wife and I were slowly retreating into either the dining room or our bedroom. I reclaimed it as a family room. Cunningly I have created a space behind the sofa where he can play with his Lego while my wife and I watch TV. He loves it. All I did was angle the sofa in a different way. I now have both the Wii and my Xbox plugged into the same TV. So I play my adult rated games after my kids have gone to bed.

Clearing

2010-07-26T22:52:00.001+01:00

My wife and I spent the day clearing the crap out of the garden. It was very satisfying to finish the final car trip to the dump knowing that the garden was clear. This includes the dreaded bottom shed. Now free for us to use as a garage for our bikes that we pick up tomorrow.

Red Dead Saturday

2010-07-24T22:53:00.001+01:00

Today I traded in some videogames for the Red Dead Redemption game. It’s an open world Western with great graphics and game play. It’s probably got enough content to keep me going a couple of years.

After that we visited the local cycle shop. We’ve been walking or jogging while the children ride their bikes on Sunday mornings, but we've wanted to join them on our own bikes so that we can keep up with them. We haven’t had bikes for years and I’ve never rode along with my wife as neither of us have had a bike while we’ve been together. But today, we decided to go and select a pair of bikes for us. And we did just that. Two nice silver bikes. We pick them up on Tuesday. Here’s a photo of mine, my wife has the women’s frame version – it is a bit smaller for the rider which suits her size better.

Friday at last!

2010-07-23T22:41:00.001+01:00

It feels like it has been a long week this one. Today is good because it marks the start of two weeks of annual leave for me. I’m delighted not to have to worry about work for the next fortnight. I have been so busy at work and at the weekends lately that I haven’t really had a chance to have a good sit down and do some blogging. I hope to have more time for this now.

Last weekend my son competed again in a Judo competition and won his three fights to win a second gold medal. I was really chuffed for him. He also got to meet a real life para-Olympian Judo player and got his picture taken holding a real life Olympic medal, what a treat!