Gullible's Travels
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Mark McLellan - My Year in Status
When I did my Facebook year in status it neatly precised the last twelve months: music, food & drink, cycling, travel.
Music was a rich year with some most entertaining evenings out:
Food and drink to many to mention, see:
Travel is not good for our carbon footprint. The most frequent destination was Scotland to visit Mary's mum and help her with the down-sizing and move to the sheltered accommodation. Of course the Trulli gets a number of hits.
Cycling
One charity ride (London Bikeathon in Aid of Leukaemia Research) and load of miles commuting to work by bike.
Health
I had a cataract operation in March in the left eye which went well. As only the one eye was done that left me with mismatched eyes. I cannot now use glasses as the prescriptions are two disparate - I miss the varifocal lenses. Instead I use a long distance contact lens in the left and reading power in the right - leaving the brain to auto-flip flop between the images; odd but mostly works ok.
Luckily I obtained a new contract on a really interesting project, with excellent colleagues in a good location (London Bridge) that I cycle to most days that I can. The rate wasn't top of the range but who's complaining with the other plus points.
What is a pain is that the agency through whom I was contracting went into voluntary liquidation owing me three months money. I am unlikely to ever see that but the plus side is that I am now working directly for the client and get the old agency's cut so will gradually claw back the loss. And the work looks set fair to continue for some time.
Christmas: The previous two Christmases were spent in South Africa so this year it was our turn to host Mary's Mum and stay in the UK. We spent a relaxing time as home in Wandsworth with May mostly knitting in the corner. We were joined by my Mum and Dad for Christmas Day goose and on New Year's Eve our friends Bob and Lynne joined us for a meal at a local restaurant.
No New Year resolutions but if I were to make one it would be "to become older and wiser". That way I am guaranteed at least a 50 percent success :-)
PS [14-Jan-10]
Molly the Morris Minor: How could I have missed that other milestone of the year? After 13 years with us Molly the Morris Minor went off to a new home. http://www.mmenterprises.co.uk/blog/labels/cars.htm
When I did my Facebook year in status it neatly precised the last twelve months: music, food & drink, cycling, travel.
Music was a rich year with some most entertaining evenings out:
- Tina Turner at the O2 (brilliant!)
- Rick Wakeman at Hampton Court Palace
- New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans (too many artists to list)
- New Orleans festival at the O2 (John Mooney, Dr John)
- Neil Young in Hyde Park (also Seasick Steve)
- James Taylor at the O2
- Sapphire Bullets in a pub in Kingston on Thames
- U2 at Wembley
- Bolan Bop in Golders Green
- T.Rextasy at Epsom
- Bill Bailey's Extraordinary Guide to the Orchestra
- Bill Posters Will be Band plus Three Bonzos and a Piano at The Bull's Head, Barnes
Food and drink to many to mention, see:
- http://www.mmenterprises.co.uk/blog/labels/wine.htm
- http://www.mmenterprises.co.uk/blog/labels/restaurants.htm
Travel is not good for our carbon footprint. The most frequent destination was Scotland to visit Mary's mum and help her with the down-sizing and move to the sheltered accommodation. Of course the Trulli gets a number of hits.
- Scotland (10) - visiting May
- Italy (5) - open up, holidays, close down
- New Orleans (1) - Jazz Fest
- South Africa (1) - Whale watching in Hermanus
- Bowness (1) - walking in the lake district
- France (1) - weekend visiting John and Andrea in Bordeaux
- Dublin (1) - Valentine's Day weekend
Cycling
One charity ride (London Bikeathon in Aid of Leukaemia Research) and load of miles commuting to work by bike.
Health
I had a cataract operation in March in the left eye which went well. As only the one eye was done that left me with mismatched eyes. I cannot now use glasses as the prescriptions are two disparate - I miss the varifocal lenses. Instead I use a long distance contact lens in the left and reading power in the right - leaving the brain to auto-flip flop between the images; odd but mostly works ok.
- http://www.mmenterprises.co.uk/blog/2009/03/cataract-operation-went-well.htm
- http://www.mmenterprises.co.uk/blog/2009/05/after-effects-of-cataract-operation.htm
- http://www.mmenterprises.co.uk/blog/2009/05/one-eyed-man-is-king.htm
Luckily I obtained a new contract on a really interesting project, with excellent colleagues in a good location (London Bridge) that I cycle to most days that I can. The rate wasn't top of the range but who's complaining with the other plus points.
What is a pain is that the agency through whom I was contracting went into voluntary liquidation owing me three months money. I am unlikely to ever see that but the plus side is that I am now working directly for the client and get the old agency's cut so will gradually claw back the loss. And the work looks set fair to continue for some time.
Christmas: The previous two Christmases were spent in South Africa so this year it was our turn to host Mary's Mum and stay in the UK. We spent a relaxing time as home in Wandsworth with May mostly knitting in the corner. We were joined by my Mum and Dad for Christmas Day goose and on New Year's Eve our friends Bob and Lynne joined us for a meal at a local restaurant.
No New Year resolutions but if I were to make one it would be "to become older and wiser". That way I am guaranteed at least a 50 percent success :-)
PS [14-Jan-10]
Molly the Morris Minor: How could I have missed that other milestone of the year? After 13 years with us Molly the Morris Minor went off to a new home. http://www.mmenterprises.co.uk/blog/labels/cars.htm
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 5:14 PM 1 comments
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Twitter: over-hyped, information poor, time sponge
I don't get Twitter.
I check once a day more or less. I get hundreds of tweets and I'm only following 50 or so people. Most of it is drivel: replies @somebody who I don't know in response to some tweet I did not see - like hearing only one half of a telephone conversation. Or it is out and out marketing puff dangerously close to spam. Why waste my time sifting through all that dross in order to find the occasional nugget.
I have enough trouble processing my inbox at home and at work and catching up on my Facebook notifications and writing my blog and living my life without allocating more of my scare time to Twitter.
Don't these Twitterers have a life or a job? Unless you are a professional communicator when do these people find the time? Are these people surfing at work? I have a job, stuff to do, I have a life, places to go, a home, chores to do. Something has got to be good to claim some of my precious time and Twitter is not that.
Who are my followers and why are they following me? Till now couple of friends but mostly me doing reciprocal follows. Have they picked up on my witty banter, my contribution to #fqf and #jazzfest? No it looks like they are searching Twitter for certain key words and stalking me as marketing fodder. Looks like spambot work to me. I have now started un-following.
And what is it with all this talk of "promoting your personal brand"? What kind of marketing b*ll**ks is that. I am not a commodity like a packet of soap powder. There seem to be a lot of people out there who think that Twitter is there solely as some kind of monetisable sales channel. Go away you people, I do not want to be CRM-ed.
No, I really don't get Twitter.
I don't get Twitter.
I check once a day more or less. I get hundreds of tweets and I'm only following 50 or so people. Most of it is drivel: replies @somebody who I don't know in response to some tweet I did not see - like hearing only one half of a telephone conversation. Or it is out and out marketing puff dangerously close to spam. Why waste my time sifting through all that dross in order to find the occasional nugget.
I have enough trouble processing my inbox at home and at work and catching up on my Facebook notifications and writing my blog and living my life without allocating more of my scare time to Twitter.
Don't these Twitterers have a life or a job? Unless you are a professional communicator when do these people find the time? Are these people surfing at work? I have a job, stuff to do, I have a life, places to go, a home, chores to do. Something has got to be good to claim some of my precious time and Twitter is not that.
Who are my followers and why are they following me? Till now couple of friends but mostly me doing reciprocal follows. Have they picked up on my witty banter, my contribution to #fqf and #jazzfest? No it looks like they are searching Twitter for certain key words and stalking me as marketing fodder. Looks like spambot work to me. I have now started un-following.
And what is it with all this talk of "promoting your personal brand"? What kind of marketing b*ll**ks is that. I am not a commodity like a packet of soap powder. There seem to be a lot of people out there who think that Twitter is there solely as some kind of monetisable sales channel. Go away you people, I do not want to be CRM-ed.
No, I really don't get Twitter.
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 5:04 PM 4 comments
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Wordle: Gullible's Travels as a Word Cloud
Courtesy of http://www.wordle.net/ the current blog converted to a word cloud:
It would appear that "weekend", "sunshine", "May" (the MIL) and "lunch" are key 'themes du jour'. That seems fairy nuff to me.
Courtesy of http://www.wordle.net/ the current blog converted to a word cloud:
It would appear that "weekend", "sunshine", "May" (the MIL) and "lunch" are key 'themes du jour'. That seems fairy nuff to me.
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 8:59 PM 2 comments
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The one eyed man is king
or in my case two separate one eyed men. Another unintended consequence of the cataract operation and opting for the myopia correction. As previously blogged I cannot use glasses alone to correct my vision as the prescriptions in the two eyes are too dissimilar.
Varifocal hard contact lenses was an option but I am still too squeamish about eyes. Mary has worn hard lenses for twenty plus years. I may be too old a dog and watching her trying to retrieve them when they go wandering off into the corner of her eye is more than I can bear to watch let alone contemplate doing it in my own eyes.
Instead, at the optician's suggestion, I am trialling a weird solution using soft daily disposable lenses: long distance in my dominant right eye and reading strength in my left. He assures me that the brain automatically adjusts and uses the relevant image. This is mostly true but feels a bit weird. I can always see both near and far but there is always an out of focus component from the other eye. I feel oddly spacey most of the time but (I hope) that will pass.
I did notice the mono-vision at the cinema the other night watching the excellent Star Trek. You try watching an entire movie with one eye half closed and that will give you a feel for what it is like.
Other side effects are simply those of switching from glasses to lenses such as I do not steam up when I open the door of the oven or dishwasher. Also I miss not being able to take off my glasses to do really close fiddly work.
Another side effect is that my stereo vision may not be as good for judging distances. Safe for normal everyday use - I have not bumped onto anything yet - but not much point in going to the IMAX to see a film in 3D then :-(
or in my case two separate one eyed men. Another unintended consequence of the cataract operation and opting for the myopia correction. As previously blogged I cannot use glasses alone to correct my vision as the prescriptions in the two eyes are too dissimilar.
Varifocal hard contact lenses was an option but I am still too squeamish about eyes. Mary has worn hard lenses for twenty plus years. I may be too old a dog and watching her trying to retrieve them when they go wandering off into the corner of her eye is more than I can bear to watch let alone contemplate doing it in my own eyes.
Instead, at the optician's suggestion, I am trialling a weird solution using soft daily disposable lenses: long distance in my dominant right eye and reading strength in my left. He assures me that the brain automatically adjusts and uses the relevant image. This is mostly true but feels a bit weird. I can always see both near and far but there is always an out of focus component from the other eye. I feel oddly spacey most of the time but (I hope) that will pass.
I did notice the mono-vision at the cinema the other night watching the excellent Star Trek. You try watching an entire movie with one eye half closed and that will give you a feel for what it is like.
Other side effects are simply those of switching from glasses to lenses such as I do not steam up when I open the door of the oven or dishwasher. Also I miss not being able to take off my glasses to do really close fiddly work.
Another side effect is that my stereo vision may not be as good for judging distances. Safe for normal everyday use - I have not bumped onto anything yet - but not much point in going to the IMAX to see a film in 3D then :-(
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 1:11 PM 1 comments
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
After effects of cataract operation
Unintended consequences of the cataract operation are various.
I went back to the surgeon on the eve of our New Orleans trip for my four week check up. I was relieved to learn that the eye had healed perfectly and the discomfort was due to an irritation easily cured with a steroidal eye-drops for a few days and not terrible scarring or some such (did I mention I have fevered imagination).
Anyhow several unexpected corollaries follow on from the operation:
1) I was offered the option of correcting my lifetime's short-sightedness by having a powered lens inserted which I opted for. Unfortunately the human body is a natural product and variations will occur - there is an art to guessing the right corrective power.
Instead of perfect driving vision I had a far point of about six foot. As the eye healed this halved to about three foot. Fine for the dinner table but not good for driving or general outdoor life. So I will still need some optical correction - glasses or contact lenses.
2) I cannot correct my vision by glasses alone. The prescription difference between the two eyes is so great that the brain cannot accommodate for the differing images. I either have to go for contact lenses in both eyes or one contact (to even them up) and a pair of glasses on top.
3) There is a visible colour difference in what I see between the clear right eye, whites are white, and the left natural eye in which the whites have a subtle hint of yellow.
4) I have a strange glint in my eye. Every now and the Mary catches an odd reflection in the eye with the lens implant. It is now official - I am a cyborg.
Unintended consequences of the cataract operation are various.
I went back to the surgeon on the eve of our New Orleans trip for my four week check up. I was relieved to learn that the eye had healed perfectly and the discomfort was due to an irritation easily cured with a steroidal eye-drops for a few days and not terrible scarring or some such (did I mention I have fevered imagination).
Anyhow several unexpected corollaries follow on from the operation:
1) I was offered the option of correcting my lifetime's short-sightedness by having a powered lens inserted which I opted for. Unfortunately the human body is a natural product and variations will occur - there is an art to guessing the right corrective power.
Instead of perfect driving vision I had a far point of about six foot. As the eye healed this halved to about three foot. Fine for the dinner table but not good for driving or general outdoor life. So I will still need some optical correction - glasses or contact lenses.
2) I cannot correct my vision by glasses alone. The prescription difference between the two eyes is so great that the brain cannot accommodate for the differing images. I either have to go for contact lenses in both eyes or one contact (to even them up) and a pair of glasses on top.
3) There is a visible colour difference in what I see between the clear right eye, whites are white, and the left natural eye in which the whites have a subtle hint of yellow.
4) I have a strange glint in my eye. Every now and the Mary catches an odd reflection in the eye with the lens implant. It is now official - I am a cyborg.
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 10:46 PM 1 comments
Saturday, March 07, 2009
25 Things About Me
Friends on Facebook will have already seen this but what the heck it took me a while to rack my brains so I thought I would get maximum mileage out of it.
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right-hand corner of the page), then click Publish.)
1. Sometimes I claim to be Cockney as I was born in the old Charing Cross Hospital. If the wind was in the right direction you might just have been able to hear the sound of Bow bells.
2. I have sworn never to wear blazers with brass buttons. Have me committed if I do as it will be a sure sign I have gone middle aged, middle England.
3. Mary and I were married in *the* St Paul's cathedral. Mary would have preferred low-key registry and send friends a postcard from honeymoon. However courtesy of Dad's MBE we had the option of the chapel in the crypt. It cost me an antique hand cut solitaire. Worth every penny.
4. I never suffer navel fluff. My navel is almost completely flat due to minor post partum surgical intervention when it everted.
5. My uncle was a one-armed paperhanger and a most unsuitable, picaresque role model for an impressionable young man. Excellent :-)
6. I can juggle and ride a unicycle badly and certainly not at the same time. I have even juggled flaming torches and only slightly singed my fingers.
7. At school I guess I was a bit of a swot. What the Americans might call a straight A student. I pretty much used to be top of the class every year in every subject except when Nigel or Daphne were there when we split the honours. After three grade A's at A level it all kind of went downhill and I scraped a third at Oxford.
8. My signature dishes are peppers with capers and creme brulee.
9. I have had hair variously half way down my back, permed, blonde highlights, and short gelled spiky. I was all set for the purple dyed phase when the need for professional appearance at work got in the way.
10. I used to run the school archaeological society and arranged some serious speakers to present. Looking back they were all very gracious to have done so in exchange for a free school dinner.
11. I cannot abide the Middle Lane Owners Club. Those plonkers who refuse to pull back into lane one when the overtaking manoeuvre is complete.
12. I have never "bunked off" school. It would never have occurred to me to do such a thing. Just call me "Mr Goody Two Shoes".
13. I consider myself omnivorous but I am not a great fan of raw celery, okra (aka ladies fingers), tripe or seafood with suckers.
14. I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.
15. I weighed 9 1/4 stone at 23; now I weigh 11st. People say I don't need to lose weight I beg to differ.
16. I have dreadful teeth. I must have had over 100 fillings in my teens. Now I have 13 crowns including several gold posts and two titanium implants.
17. When I fill out forms that ask my religion I put Jedi. Me and 390,000 other Brits can't be wrong.
18. About the only thing I really learned at college was that I learn by specific examples but understand and remember by general principles. Apart from that I have nothing but contempt for Oxford as a seat of learning.
19. I hate waste. I get great satisfaction from meals that use an assortment of leftovers in the fridge. I have cavalier attitude toward 'use by' dates.
20. I can't work with background music. I find myself sucked into the music and can no longer concentrate on the task in hand. Conversely I happily work with Radio 4 talking to me all day, be productive and remember and recount what I heard. Who says boys cannot multi-task.
21. I really dislike it when people eat with their mouth open. It must have been drummed into me as a child "it's rude to eat with your mouth open".
22. I once made a New Year's Resolution to drink more French White wine. I kept that one up.
23. One Christmas I decorated the underground with Tinsel. Commuting on the northern line one December I decided people were looking too glum. So for several weeks I would fill the pockets of my pinstripe suit with tinsel and decorate the straphangers over several carriages each morning.
24. www.mmenterprises.co.uk has one of the oldest Marc Bolan pages on the Internet - since 27 November 1996 in fact. That is postively pre-historic in world wide web terms.
25. I don't do memes. Well to be specific if tagged I do the meme but do not pass it on. So this one ends here.
Friends on Facebook will have already seen this but what the heck it took me a while to rack my brains so I thought I would get maximum mileage out of it.
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right-hand corner of the page), then click Publish.)
1. Sometimes I claim to be Cockney as I was born in the old Charing Cross Hospital. If the wind was in the right direction you might just have been able to hear the sound of Bow bells.
2. I have sworn never to wear blazers with brass buttons. Have me committed if I do as it will be a sure sign I have gone middle aged, middle England.
3. Mary and I were married in *the* St Paul's cathedral. Mary would have preferred low-key registry and send friends a postcard from honeymoon. However courtesy of Dad's MBE we had the option of the chapel in the crypt. It cost me an antique hand cut solitaire. Worth every penny.
4. I never suffer navel fluff. My navel is almost completely flat due to minor post partum surgical intervention when it everted.
5. My uncle was a one-armed paperhanger and a most unsuitable, picaresque role model for an impressionable young man. Excellent :-)
6. I can juggle and ride a unicycle badly and certainly not at the same time. I have even juggled flaming torches and only slightly singed my fingers.
7. At school I guess I was a bit of a swot. What the Americans might call a straight A student. I pretty much used to be top of the class every year in every subject except when Nigel or Daphne were there when we split the honours. After three grade A's at A level it all kind of went downhill and I scraped a third at Oxford.
8. My signature dishes are peppers with capers and creme brulee.
9. I have had hair variously half way down my back, permed, blonde highlights, and short gelled spiky. I was all set for the purple dyed phase when the need for professional appearance at work got in the way.
10. I used to run the school archaeological society and arranged some serious speakers to present. Looking back they were all very gracious to have done so in exchange for a free school dinner.
11. I cannot abide the Middle Lane Owners Club. Those plonkers who refuse to pull back into lane one when the overtaking manoeuvre is complete.
12. I have never "bunked off" school. It would never have occurred to me to do such a thing. Just call me "Mr Goody Two Shoes".
13. I consider myself omnivorous but I am not a great fan of raw celery, okra (aka ladies fingers), tripe or seafood with suckers.
14. I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.
15. I weighed 9 1/4 stone at 23; now I weigh 11st. People say I don't need to lose weight I beg to differ.
16. I have dreadful teeth. I must have had over 100 fillings in my teens. Now I have 13 crowns including several gold posts and two titanium implants.
17. When I fill out forms that ask my religion I put Jedi. Me and 390,000 other Brits can't be wrong.
18. About the only thing I really learned at college was that I learn by specific examples but understand and remember by general principles. Apart from that I have nothing but contempt for Oxford as a seat of learning.
19. I hate waste. I get great satisfaction from meals that use an assortment of leftovers in the fridge. I have cavalier attitude toward 'use by' dates.
20. I can't work with background music. I find myself sucked into the music and can no longer concentrate on the task in hand. Conversely I happily work with Radio 4 talking to me all day, be productive and remember and recount what I heard. Who says boys cannot multi-task.
21. I really dislike it when people eat with their mouth open. It must have been drummed into me as a child "it's rude to eat with your mouth open".
22. I once made a New Year's Resolution to drink more French White wine. I kept that one up.
23. One Christmas I decorated the underground with Tinsel. Commuting on the northern line one December I decided people were looking too glum. So for several weeks I would fill the pockets of my pinstripe suit with tinsel and decorate the straphangers over several carriages each morning.
24. www.mmenterprises.co.uk has one of the oldest Marc Bolan pages on the Internet - since 27 November 1996 in fact. That is postively pre-historic in world wide web terms.
25. I don't do memes. Well to be specific if tagged I do the meme but do not pass it on. So this one ends here.
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 3:28 PM 0 comments
Monday, March 03, 2008
Sainsbury's line caught Haddock fillets
extra trimmed
a succulent flakey white fish
So says the label on tonight's supper and on the back label the legend:
Ingredients
Haddock.
(!) Allergy advice
Contains fish
Well I suppose it would! Another gem from the labelling geniuses.
extra trimmed
a succulent flakey white fish
So says the label on tonight's supper and on the back label the legend:
Ingredients
Haddock.
(!) Allergy advice
Contains fish
Well I suppose it would! Another gem from the labelling geniuses.
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 7:02 PM 1 comments
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Jury Service
It has been such a hectic week that I have not had time to write about the jury service. Mary prudently suggests that I do not identify the specific trials nor am I allowed, by law, to discuss the jury's private deliberations.
What I will say is that I sat on two panels: one trial each week and the jury acquitted in both cases.
In the first trial my personal view was that both complainant and defendants were lying but for different reasons. A "not guilty" verdict was not difficult to arrive at.
In the second case I was sure the accused was guilty but based purely on the evidence presented by The Crown we could not be *sure* - tafka "beyond reasonable doubt". In the end it went to a majority verdict based on some good defence work and the poor quality evidence put forward by the prosecution. Bit of an own goal by the police and CPS.
There were various instructive and entertaining aspects to the whole business. One of which was hearing Mi'lud and learned counsel utter the F-word and other demotic English phrases in their best BBC English.
Another item was the little ritual exchange as each police-person gave evidence:
Counsel "Did you make notes?"
Police person "I did."
Counsel "And were those notes made within two hours of the events?"
Police person "They were."
Counsel "And were the events still fresh in your mind when you made those notes?"
Police person "They were."
Counsel "Would you like to consult those notes?"
Police person, turning to the bench "If I may Mi'lud."
Mi'lud "You may"
Counsel "Thank you Mi'lud."
At the end of the evidence the usher swears an oath to conduct us to a "private and convenient place" where we deliberate our verdict. I have to say that in both trials we, as a group, took our responsibility seriously and a good quality discussion, based on the evidence, lead to the verdict.
Wikipedia on: Jury (England and Wales)
It has been such a hectic week that I have not had time to write about the jury service. Mary prudently suggests that I do not identify the specific trials nor am I allowed, by law, to discuss the jury's private deliberations.
What I will say is that I sat on two panels: one trial each week and the jury acquitted in both cases.
In the first trial my personal view was that both complainant and defendants were lying but for different reasons. A "not guilty" verdict was not difficult to arrive at.
In the second case I was sure the accused was guilty but based purely on the evidence presented by The Crown we could not be *sure* - tafka "beyond reasonable doubt". In the end it went to a majority verdict based on some good defence work and the poor quality evidence put forward by the prosecution. Bit of an own goal by the police and CPS.
There were various instructive and entertaining aspects to the whole business. One of which was hearing Mi'lud and learned counsel utter the F-word and other demotic English phrases in their best BBC English.
Another item was the little ritual exchange as each police-person gave evidence:
Counsel "Did you make notes?"
Police person "I did."
Counsel "And were those notes made within two hours of the events?"
Police person "They were."
Counsel "And were the events still fresh in your mind when you made those notes?"
Police person "They were."
Counsel "Would you like to consult those notes?"
Police person, turning to the bench "If I may Mi'lud."
Mi'lud "You may"
Counsel "Thank you Mi'lud."
At the end of the evidence the usher swears an oath to conduct us to a "private and convenient place" where we deliberate our verdict. I have to say that in both trials we, as a group, took our responsibility seriously and a good quality discussion, based on the evidence, lead to the verdict.
Wikipedia on: Jury (England and Wales)
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 5:30 PM 1 comments
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Firewall blues
Well it had to happen I guess. Ever since working at the current client site their company firewall has banned access to inappropriate sites. Fair enough. Their definition of inappropriate has always included web mail, so no catching up on your correspondance even at lunchtime.
Now the inevitable has happened and they have added blog sites, discussion forums and photo-sharing sites to that list :-(
That means no blog-surfing at lunchtime to catch up on the blogroll; no more quick posts from work; no more commenting on others blogs. Oh well. Apologies to my regular reads.
Well it had to happen I guess. Ever since working at the current client site their company firewall has banned access to inappropriate sites. Fair enough. Their definition of inappropriate has always included web mail, so no catching up on your correspondance even at lunchtime.
Now the inevitable has happened and they have added blog sites, discussion forums and photo-sharing sites to that list :-(
That means no blog-surfing at lunchtime to catch up on the blogroll; no more quick posts from work; no more commenting on others blogs. Oh well. Apologies to my regular reads.
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 7:10 AM 3 comments
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Innocent Drinks Label
It would be unfair to mention Tom Bihn's Care Label without giving a mention to our very own Innocent Drinks fruit smoothie labels which keep Mary and I amused on a regular basis.
The ingredients often include spurious items with matching footnote, such as Rubber duck (* Pass the soap) or Double-decker bus (* Hold very tight please, ting, ting!). Here is a typical label (click on it for larger version):
They also make An Innocent Promise such as "We promise that anything innocent will always taste good and do you good. We promise that we'll never use concentrates, preservatives, stabilisers, or any weird stuff in our drinks. And we promise we'll never cheat at cards."
Or "... And we promise always to wipe our feet" or "... And if we do you can tell our mums" and so on.
More at "The Label Museum"
It would be unfair to mention Tom Bihn's Care Label without giving a mention to our very own Innocent Drinks fruit smoothie labels which keep Mary and I amused on a regular basis.
The ingredients often include spurious items with matching footnote, such as Rubber duck (* Pass the soap) or Double-decker bus (* Hold very tight please, ting, ting!). Here is a typical label (click on it for larger version):
They also make An Innocent Promise such as "We promise that anything innocent will always taste good and do you good. We promise that we'll never use concentrates, preservatives, stabilisers, or any weird stuff in our drinks. And we promise we'll never cheat at cards."
Or "... And we promise always to wipe our feet" or "... And if we do you can tell our mums" and so on.
More at "The Label Museum"
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 1:18 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Tom Bihn Care Label
Thanks to Paris Parfait for this one, nice to see companies with a sense of humour. Tom Bihn make travel bags. They have produced a novel care label:
<quote>
The inside label carries instructions on washing and caring for the bags. Because the bags are sold in Canada, the instructions are also printed in French. The French version, however, contains an additional phrase: "NOUS SOMMES DESOLES QUE NOTRE PRESIDENT SOIT UN IDIOT. NOUS N'AVONS PAS VOTE POUR LUI." Translated to English, the phrase reads, "We are sorry that our President is an idiot. We did not vote for him."
</quote>
source="http://www.tombihn.com/"
Thanks to Paris Parfait for this one, nice to see companies with a sense of humour. Tom Bihn make travel bags. They have produced a novel care label:<quote>
The inside label carries instructions on washing and caring for the bags. Because the bags are sold in Canada, the instructions are also printed in French. The French version, however, contains an additional phrase: "NOUS SOMMES DESOLES QUE NOTRE PRESIDENT SOIT UN IDIOT. NOUS N'AVONS PAS VOTE POUR LUI." Translated to English, the phrase reads, "We are sorry that our President is an idiot. We did not vote for him."
</quote>
source="http://www.tombihn.com/"
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 3:50 PM 0 comments
Thursday, January 18, 2007
CSC Alumni meet in the Crusting Pipe
Another CSC alumni gathering. Like last time in the congenial surroundings of The Crusting Pipe in Covent Garden.
Much the usual band of suspects, again: there was me, Tony Korn, Simon Hargrave, John Warren, David Pelta, John Patient, Carolyn MacDowell, Tony Hazel, Roy Thompson, Barry Wilton and Anne Carter. Apologies from David Martin and Paul Toledo (not yet on the mailing list). A good turnout - thanks chaps.
I learnt from the last time and got my food order in early, I just can't take drinking on an empty stomach like I could in my youth. I remember in my mid twenties when I worked at Coopers & Lybrand (as they were then) how a crowd of us went drinking regularly after work. I always used to tip the lemon from the previous Gin and Tonic into the next so I knew how many I'd had by counting the slices. At least in those days many city pubs shut early (sometimes as early as 7:30pm) which probably saved our livers.
By the end of last night transport demands has whittled the crowd down to a hard core half dozen all of whom worked for Inforem which was subsequently acquired by CSC. We got all nostalgic for those glory days and it set me thinking.
When I look at the friends I have made and kept in contact with they come mostly from specific groups. For example I am not in touch with friends from school, nor college, nor my first two jobs. But I am from my time at BIS Applied Systems and my time at Inforem. Something about working with a set of similarly educated, trained and dedicated professionals. We were good at what we did (I think I can say that), we enjoyed it and worked hard at it. There was a real sense of camaraderie and that is why we are still in touch.
That reminds me I must given the BIS crowd a call...
Also, in a piece of brazen and shameless self-promotion, I promised a link to our holiday home - now available for rent.
http://www.trulli-puglia.com/ (don't forget the hyphen).
Previous gatherings:
No really it's networking not drinking!
CSC alumni meet in All-Bar-One
Another CSC alumni gathering. Like last time in the congenial surroundings of The Crusting Pipe in Covent Garden.
Much the usual band of suspects, again: there was me, Tony Korn, Simon Hargrave, John Warren, David Pelta, John Patient, Carolyn MacDowell, Tony Hazel, Roy Thompson, Barry Wilton and Anne Carter. Apologies from David Martin and Paul Toledo (not yet on the mailing list). A good turnout - thanks chaps.
I learnt from the last time and got my food order in early, I just can't take drinking on an empty stomach like I could in my youth. I remember in my mid twenties when I worked at Coopers & Lybrand (as they were then) how a crowd of us went drinking regularly after work. I always used to tip the lemon from the previous Gin and Tonic into the next so I knew how many I'd had by counting the slices. At least in those days many city pubs shut early (sometimes as early as 7:30pm) which probably saved our livers.
By the end of last night transport demands has whittled the crowd down to a hard core half dozen all of whom worked for Inforem which was subsequently acquired by CSC. We got all nostalgic for those glory days and it set me thinking.
When I look at the friends I have made and kept in contact with they come mostly from specific groups. For example I am not in touch with friends from school, nor college, nor my first two jobs. But I am from my time at BIS Applied Systems and my time at Inforem. Something about working with a set of similarly educated, trained and dedicated professionals. We were good at what we did (I think I can say that), we enjoyed it and worked hard at it. There was a real sense of camaraderie and that is why we are still in touch.
That reminds me I must given the BIS crowd a call...
Also, in a piece of brazen and shameless self-promotion, I promised a link to our holiday home - now available for rent.
http://www.trulli-puglia.com/ (don't forget the hyphen).
Previous gatherings:
No really it's networking not drinking!
CSC alumni meet in All-Bar-One
Labels: observations, social
¶ Permanent link: 8:19 AM 1 comments
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Suitable for Vegetarians
I have friend, let's call her - say - Danielle Byrne, who is a vegetarian. On flights her veggie meal is usually accompanied by some kind of tisane or herbal infusion. Her reaction is along the lines of "What is this? Bring me red wine!" Just because one might be vegetarian that does not mean one is also TT.
Last night I was finishing off a bottle of 2004 Saint Joseph when my attention wandered to the back label. There I spotted a large "V" and the legend "Suitable for Vegetarians". Phew. that's a relief then!
As if any dead animals went into the making of wine, honestly what an egregious bit of labelling. See also [Full of Fruit Goodness]
I have friend, let's call her - say - Danielle Byrne, who is a vegetarian. On flights her veggie meal is usually accompanied by some kind of tisane or herbal infusion. Her reaction is along the lines of "What is this? Bring me red wine!" Just because one might be vegetarian that does not mean one is also TT.
Last night I was finishing off a bottle of 2004 Saint Joseph when my attention wandered to the back label. There I spotted a large "V" and the legend "Suitable for Vegetarians". Phew. that's a relief then!
As if any dead animals went into the making of wine, honestly what an egregious bit of labelling. See also [Full of Fruit Goodness]
Labels: observations, wine
¶ Permanent link: 12:50 PM 2 comments
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
ICE: In Case of Emergency
Chatting to JohnP over lunch I mentioned ICE and since he had not heard of it I thought many others might not have either. Very simple idea:
In your mobile phone book include an entry with the name ICE and the number of someone you would want to be contacted in case of emergency e.g. when the paramedic scrapes you off the road after an RTA.
The original idea came from a Cambridge paramedic [full story / further tips]. I have two programmed into my phone: "ICE Mary" and "ICE Parents".
Chatting to JohnP over lunch I mentioned ICE and since he had not heard of it I thought many others might not have either. Very simple idea:
In your mobile phone book include an entry with the name ICE and the number of someone you would want to be contacted in case of emergency e.g. when the paramedic scrapes you off the road after an RTA.
The original idea came from a Cambridge paramedic [full story / further tips]. I have two programmed into my phone: "ICE Mary" and "ICE Parents".
Labels: observations, travel
¶ Permanent link: 3:25 PM 1 comments
Friday, December 22, 2006
Three pearls of wisdom
There is much advice out there in the world, some wise, some helpful, some complete tosh. These are three pieces of advice I have been given over the years that have stuck with me:
There is much advice out there in the world, some wise, some helpful, some complete tosh. These are three pieces of advice I have been given over the years that have stuck with me:
- Think general
- When trying to solve a problem, aim for a solution that is flexible and adaptable. An adjustable wrench not a spanner.
- Never go out without money
- You never know when you might need it. At the very least have your bus fare home.
- Always button your cardigan from the bottom
- Then you can see what you are doing and don't end up a button out at the top.
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 8:17 AM 3 comments
Thursday, June 15, 2006
England swings like a pendulum do
Three times this last week Horse Guards Road has been closed for various events related to QE2's birthday and the ceremony of Beating The Retreat so I have been forced to cycle down the Mall, past "Buck House" and through Victoria.
Along the Mall there were not one, not two but three pairs of 'Bobbies on bicycles, two by two'*. Make no mistake these are not your rose-tinted bobbies but pedal-powered traffic cops. They have words with cyclists who run red lights and, I presume, can pursue pickpockets through crowds where a car chase would be, to say the least, inadvisable.
See http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/news/2002/aug-12-02.html
and
"Flashing Blue Bike"
* England Swings by Roger Miller
Three times this last week Horse Guards Road has been closed for various events related to QE2's birthday and the ceremony of Beating The Retreat so I have been forced to cycle down the Mall, past "Buck House" and through Victoria.
Along the Mall there were not one, not two but three pairs of 'Bobbies on bicycles, two by two'*. Make no mistake these are not your rose-tinted bobbies but pedal-powered traffic cops. They have words with cyclists who run red lights and, I presume, can pursue pickpockets through crowds where a car chase would be, to say the least, inadvisable.
See http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/news/2002/aug-12-02.html
and
"Flashing Blue Bike"
* England Swings by Roger Miller
Labels: cycling, observations, street life
¶ Permanent link: 4:47 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Bits and bobs
Pied-a-terre: My sister Jane and husband have exchanged on their one-room flat in Soho with completion early next month. So we can look forward to some evenings of jollity in Soho (see "Walking in the Wild West End").
I'm sorry I'll read that again: It must be having done too many crosswords that causes me to parse things oddly. Last time I was in Waitrose I bought a stir fry pack containing "Free Range Egg Noodles".
That's nice I thought, these egg noodles are keep in fields and allowed to roam free, not like factory farmed noodles. Then I re-read and thought Ah I think they mean the chickens that produced the eggs.
Marriage of Convenience: I was amused by Empire Magazine's 'Book of Movie Trivia' suggestion that Whoopi Goldberg should marry Peter Cushing so she could become Whoopi Cushing.
Pied-a-terre: My sister Jane and husband have exchanged on their one-room flat in Soho with completion early next month. So we can look forward to some evenings of jollity in Soho (see "Walking in the Wild West End").
I'm sorry I'll read that again: It must be having done too many crosswords that causes me to parse things oddly. Last time I was in Waitrose I bought a stir fry pack containing "Free Range Egg Noodles".
That's nice I thought, these egg noodles are keep in fields and allowed to roam free, not like factory farmed noodles. Then I re-read and thought Ah I think they mean the chickens that produced the eggs.
Marriage of Convenience: I was amused by Empire Magazine's 'Book of Movie Trivia' suggestion that Whoopi Goldberg should marry Peter Cushing so she could become Whoopi Cushing.
Labels: family, humour, observations
¶ Permanent link: 8:43 AM 0 comments
Sunday, May 14, 2006
My name is Ozymandias
king of kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
* Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
For I have built a mighty shed and the name of that shed shall be "Jackson".
As previously written I had decided on a second shed (see "Arthur 'Two Sheds' Jackson". On Wednesday between the full day's work and the ten mile training ride I popped down to Homebase and picked up the flatpack shed. The next couple evenings have been assembling it and Saturday morning saw me putting the final touches.
It is already stuffed full of garden chairs and gardening bits and pieces for, as everyone knows, a full shed is a happy shed. Now I think some kind of "topping out" ceremony is called for so the two sheds can be officially named.
king of kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
* Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
For I have built a mighty shed and the name of that shed shall be "Jackson".
As previously written I had decided on a second shed (see "Arthur 'Two Sheds' Jackson". On Wednesday between the full day's work and the ten mile training ride I popped down to Homebase and picked up the flatpack shed. The next couple evenings have been assembling it and Saturday morning saw me putting the final touches.
It is already stuffed full of garden chairs and gardening bits and pieces for, as everyone knows, a full shed is a happy shed. Now I think some kind of "topping out" ceremony is called for so the two sheds can be officially named.
Labels: humour, observations
¶ Permanent link: 5:37 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
May Morning in Oxford
Yesterday we set the alarm for 5:15am, threw ourselves into our clothes,stumbled rushed out into the streets of Oxford and headed for Magdalene Bridge. There thousands of celebrants had gathered to greet the dawn. Some looking the worse for wear in their DJ's (US:Tuxedo) and posh frocks having been up all night at a May Ball, some entering into the festive spirit.
At six o'clock, as the chimes of clock tower faded, the choristers sang in Latin to greet the start of Spring. Then a blessing on the crowd, another burst of singing and the crowd disperse. In our case to a cafe on "The High" for a glass of champagne and 'Full English'.
The blessing may have been Christian but the roots of the occasion are pagan. There were Morris Men with clogs on their feet and "bells on their toes" dancing traditional dances.
One troupe was accompanied by Jack 'o the Green, looking more like a Christmas tree than anything else, a primitive symbol of fertility.
[BTW this dancing / Jack is happening under the bridge of my alma mater, Hertford college]
There was street entertainment such as this energetic percussion band. After all this we went back to bed for an hour then checked out the hotel and caught the train to London in time for lunch.
Yesterday we set the alarm for 5:15am, threw ourselves into our clothes,
At six o'clock, as the chimes of clock tower faded, the choristers sang in Latin to greet the start of Spring. Then a blessing on the crowd, another burst of singing and the crowd disperse. In our case to a cafe on "The High" for a glass of champagne and 'Full English'.
The blessing may have been Christian but the roots of the occasion are pagan. There were Morris Men with clogs on their feet and "bells on their toes" dancing traditional dances.
One troupe was accompanied by Jack 'o the Green, looking more like a Christmas tree than anything else, a primitive symbol of fertility.
[BTW this dancing / Jack is happening under the bridge of my alma mater, Hertford college]
There was street entertainment such as this energetic percussion band. After all this we went back to bed for an hour then checked out the hotel and caught the train to London in time for lunch.
Labels: observations, street life
¶ Permanent link: 5:03 PM 1 comments
Friday, April 28, 2006
Cherish Plate Spotting
Cycling over Chelsea Bridge yesterday I spotted a van with the registration mark "NO 5". As I drew level I saw it was a Chanel company van. Unless it was fully laden the plate was probably worth more than the van.
This morning driving along the M27 I spotted "KOI 7777" which belonged to a supplier of tropical fish to the trade.
Checking out the DVLA Sale of Marks site I discover that "7 MSM" sold for GBP 10,600 in September 2003 and "M4 RKS" sold for GBP 11,800 in April 1999. All of which make GBP 499 for "MM52 MSM" seem like good value (see "Vanity thy name is MSM52").
Mind you a little more rummaging revealed that "1 A" sold for GBP 160,000 in December 1989 so that be worth a few bob now. But who, I want to know, has that kind of money to spend on a car number plate?
Cycling over Chelsea Bridge yesterday I spotted a van with the registration mark "NO 5". As I drew level I saw it was a Chanel company van. Unless it was fully laden the plate was probably worth more than the van.
This morning driving along the M27 I spotted "KOI 7777" which belonged to a supplier of tropical fish to the trade.
Checking out the DVLA Sale of Marks site I discover that "7 MSM" sold for GBP 10,600 in September 2003 and "M4 RKS" sold for GBP 11,800 in April 1999. All of which make GBP 499 for "MM52 MSM" seem like good value (see "Vanity thy name is MSM52").
Mind you a little more rummaging revealed that "1 A" sold for GBP 160,000 in December 1989 so that be worth a few bob now. But who, I want to know, has that kind of money to spend on a car number plate?
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 6:24 PM 1 comments
Friday, March 31, 2006
Talk To The Hand
Mary does not like having her picture taken. If you looked at our holiday snaps you might be forgiven for thinking I travelled alone. Personally I am more of the Japanese Tourist school of photography. I like grinning pictures of me in front of famous monuments.
A couple of weeks ago we were in the local wine bar discussing thecrap poor quality of the mobile phone built in camera. Mary remarked that these new phones allow you to associate a picture with a contact in your phone book. Quick as a flash I whipped out my phone to take a picture of SWMBO but Mary's anti-paparazzi circuits were faster.
So for the last two weeks whenever I get a call from Mary this is the image that pops up on my phone's screen:
Talk To The Hand
Mary does not like having her picture taken. If you looked at our holiday snaps you might be forgiven for thinking I travelled alone. Personally I am more of the Japanese Tourist school of photography. I like grinning pictures of me in front of famous monuments.
A couple of weeks ago we were in the local wine bar discussing the
So for the last two weeks whenever I get a call from Mary this is the image that pops up on my phone's screen:
Talk To The Hand
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 12:47 PM 1 comments
Sunday, February 19, 2006
On the nature of obsession
And he was alright, the band was all together *
Watching Thumpermonkey at the gig last Friday I was impressed by the level of musicianship. The musicians were well synchronised and the speed of Michael Woodman's fingerwork on the fret spoke eloquently of many thousands of hours of practice in a teenage bedrooms.
A number of years ago I saw a street entertainer at the Edinburgh festival on the slack wire. He used one foot to kick up and catch on his head first a saucer, then a cup and finally a teaspoon. After the second attempt with the teaspoon bounced out he remarked "I have to practice this a thousand times for you to see me do it once!". The third attempt was successful to great applause.
Now if someone washes their hands a hundred time a day, or checks and re-checks the chairs are exactly squared up to the table, or whatever, they are described as Obsessive-Compulsive. If a musician practices the scales, or a particular song, over and over and over and over till they get it right they are a dedicated perfectionist. Hmmm! It is indeed a thin line between genius and madness.
* Lady Stardust by David Bowie
And he was alright, the band was all together *
Watching Thumpermonkey at the gig last Friday I was impressed by the level of musicianship. The musicians were well synchronised and the speed of Michael Woodman's fingerwork on the fret spoke eloquently of many thousands of hours of practice in a teenage bedrooms.
A number of years ago I saw a street entertainer at the Edinburgh festival on the slack wire. He used one foot to kick up and catch on his head first a saucer, then a cup and finally a teaspoon. After the second attempt with the teaspoon bounced out he remarked "I have to practice this a thousand times for you to see me do it once!". The third attempt was successful to great applause.
Now if someone washes their hands a hundred time a day, or checks and re-checks the chairs are exactly squared up to the table, or whatever, they are described as Obsessive-Compulsive. If a musician practices the scales, or a particular song, over and over and over and over till they get it right they are a dedicated perfectionist. Hmmm! It is indeed a thin line between genius and madness.
* Lady Stardust by David Bowie
Labels: observations, the arts
¶ Permanent link: 4:29 PM 1 comments
Thursday, January 19, 2006
The Tide Is High
but I'm holding on *
My mental jukebox is normally triggered by word association (see "Light Blue Car" and "Musical Malapropisms") but my cycle ride usually begins with the same two tracks cued by visual images.
It starts as I cycle into Battersea Reach (apartments *from* GBP 279,000) where all the hoardings are plastered with images of beautiful young things smiling, chatting, laughing, drinking wine and generally being nauseatingly trendy cool Yuppies and Dinkies. And off goes the play list starting with "Shiny Happy People" by REM.
Then I pass through the plaza and turn onto the Thames-side path. The first sight that greets me is a small stretch of river bank planted with water side plants. If the tide is out I get a view of a wide expanse of river mud and off goes track two, "The Tide Is High", and Blondie keeps me humming as far as the London Heliport.
* The Tide Is High by Blondie
but I'm holding on *
My mental jukebox is normally triggered by word association (see "Light Blue Car" and "Musical Malapropisms") but my cycle ride usually begins with the same two tracks cued by visual images.
It starts as I cycle into Battersea Reach (apartments *from* GBP 279,000) where all the hoardings are plastered with images of beautiful young things smiling, chatting, laughing, drinking wine and generally being nauseatingly trendy cool Yuppies and Dinkies. And off goes the play list starting with "Shiny Happy People" by REM.
Then I pass through the plaza and turn onto the Thames-side path. The first sight that greets me is a small stretch of river bank planted with water side plants. If the tide is out I get a view of a wide expanse of river mud and off goes track two, "The Tide Is High", and Blondie keeps me humming as far as the London Heliport.
* The Tide Is High by Blondie
Labels: cycling, observations
¶ Permanent link: 8:46 AM 0 comments
Friday, February 18, 2005
Living with my wife
As promised in Breaking the Fourth Wall and alluded to in Table for Two? a bit of background on the fact that I now live with my Wife!
For the last ten+ years we have been like the couple in the weather vane. Always one in, one out and never at the same time. When we first moved to Avon Cottage I commuted to Farnborough and Mary rented a spare room from a friend in London coming home at weekends.
After three months she decided to relocate, after all we were not long married. We would drive to Farnborough where I would throw her out at the train station and she would complete her commute by public transport. After three months of that CSC sent me to Histon, north of Cambridge, for fifteen months and the tables were turned.
And so it has gone for the last decade until January this year (2005). For the first time in all that time we now co-habit seven days a week. This has given rise to a certain amount of cynical humour from our friends but, notwithstanding the adjustments that always need to be made when lives change, I consider it a "Good Thing" * after all I did marry the woman!
* 1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England by W.C. Sellar, R.J. Yeatman (ISBN: 0413772705)
As promised in Breaking the Fourth Wall and alluded to in Table for Two? a bit of background on the fact that I now live with my Wife!
For the last ten+ years we have been like the couple in the weather vane. Always one in, one out and never at the same time. When we first moved to Avon Cottage I commuted to Farnborough and Mary rented a spare room from a friend in London coming home at weekends.
After three months she decided to relocate, after all we were not long married. We would drive to Farnborough where I would throw her out at the train station and she would complete her commute by public transport. After three months of that CSC sent me to Histon, north of Cambridge, for fifteen months and the tables were turned.
And so it has gone for the last decade until January this year (2005). For the first time in all that time we now co-habit seven days a week. This has given rise to a certain amount of cynical humour from our friends but, notwithstanding the adjustments that always need to be made when lives change, I consider it a "Good Thing" * after all I did marry the woman!
* 1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England by W.C. Sellar, R.J. Yeatman (ISBN: 0413772705)
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 9:18 AM 0 comments
Friday, August 13, 2004
The Hunger Site
I used to visit this site regularly to milk the sponsors' marketing budget to help feed the third world. I have just started doing it again.
Put a shortcut on your desktop (IE right mouse, create shortcut) and you can do the same.
I used to visit this site regularly to milk the sponsors' marketing budget to help feed the third world. I have just started doing it again.
Put a shortcut on your desktop (IE right mouse, create shortcut) and you can do the same.
Labels: observations
¶ Permanent link: 1:04 PM 0 comments
