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| Geese: Tarbet, Scotland - Summer 2009 |
It was taken in Tarbet in the North of Scotland in the Summer of 2009. We were waiting for a boat to take us over to the Handa Island Bird Sanctuary and this flock of geese were gently paddling across the bay.
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Picture Post. No. 2
Another quiet day and there are only so many dog walking tales that a body can take so I have trawled through my picture archives and decided upon this one.
It was taken in Tarbet in the North of Scotland in the Summer of 2009. We were waiting for a boat to take us over to the Handa Island Bird Sanctuary and this flock of geese were gently paddling across the bay.
It was taken in Tarbet in the North of Scotland in the Summer of 2009. We were waiting for a boat to take us over to the Handa Island Bird Sanctuary and this flock of geese were gently paddling across the bay.
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Marauder's Bumper Book of Crimes No. 5 in an occasional series
Yesterday morning I hosted a conference call to discuss Disaster Recovery on the latest assignment.
During the introductions Marauder decided to announce herself to my colleagues. It appears that her volume control and sustain are currently set to 11.
During the introductions Marauder decided to announce herself to my colleagues. It appears that her volume control and sustain are currently set to 11.
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Travel Planning
Yesterday evening's request to travel to Boston early next week meant that much of Tuesday morning was spent battling with Dante's unwieldy on-line reservation tool to locate flights that allowed sufficient time to transfer from one airliner to another and a hotel that was in the same city let alone State.
I may be exaggerating slightly but the tool is appalling. I asked for hotels in the vicinity of Cambridge MA. In fact I asked for hotels withing 3 miles of Cambridge MA. Why then was the bloody tool giving me a list of 50 hotels, the majority of which were more than 10 miles away? It even gave me half a dozen hotels which didn't have an "approved room rate". In other words; book at your peril because there will be all sorts of scrutiny when you try to claim the room cost.
And as for flights, don't get me started. American Airlines and Continental are merging and the damn tool gives flights by each of these carriers to Boston. The only difference is the logo and the flight number but the tool will only let me buy a flight from one of them. No clues as to which one I just have to select one and hope. No surprises then, when I had to abort, go back and select the other one!
I don't mind choice but take exception when the damn things are presenting invalid information and have filter tools that don't work.
Then there is the general grumble that I cannot fly direct to Boston and have to travel an hour further in to New York, spend a couple of hours in the Terminal and then fly back on myself in to Boston. That results in an additional 4 hours of travelling time and an additional 400 miles of air travel.
Did I mention the entirely separate travel authorisation tool where I need to estimate all of my expenses and then get 4 levels of approval before I book my trip?
Rant over.
I may be exaggerating slightly but the tool is appalling. I asked for hotels in the vicinity of Cambridge MA. In fact I asked for hotels withing 3 miles of Cambridge MA. Why then was the bloody tool giving me a list of 50 hotels, the majority of which were more than 10 miles away? It even gave me half a dozen hotels which didn't have an "approved room rate". In other words; book at your peril because there will be all sorts of scrutiny when you try to claim the room cost.
And as for flights, don't get me started. American Airlines and Continental are merging and the damn tool gives flights by each of these carriers to Boston. The only difference is the logo and the flight number but the tool will only let me buy a flight from one of them. No clues as to which one I just have to select one and hope. No surprises then, when I had to abort, go back and select the other one!
I don't mind choice but take exception when the damn things are presenting invalid information and have filter tools that don't work.
Then there is the general grumble that I cannot fly direct to Boston and have to travel an hour further in to New York, spend a couple of hours in the Terminal and then fly back on myself in to Boston. That results in an additional 4 hours of travelling time and an additional 400 miles of air travel.
Did I mention the entirely separate travel authorisation tool where I need to estimate all of my expenses and then get 4 levels of approval before I book my trip?
Rant over.
Monday, 10 January 2011
Unexpected sight
This morning I took a drive in to the nearest Circle of Hell to meet up with Golfy. Golfy has recently moved in to a similar job to mine and we agreed to meet up and have a chat. I have decided that I may know very little but am an expert in being the New Guy in this role. Golfy is now challenging for this position which means that I am heading for the anonymity of been around a bit and therefore should know better. Curse him!
It is Golfy's birthday to day and he is 294* I therefore decanted a portion of the 2010 Blackberry Vodka for him and took it in as a gift. He seemed to be delighted and took a sip from the bottle at approximately 9.15 am. That is, perhaps, a glimpse in to his near future as a possible way of dealing with the new job.
The unexpected sight - Yes, I'm getting to that - on the way in to work I saw a small herd of Fresians strip grazing a fodder crop. "So" you might ask, "what is so unusual about that?". It is the middle of January and it is rare to see dairy cattle turned out in Winter. They are usually housed in barns and fed on silage, hay and concentrates rather than go to the effort of turning them out to graze pasture that isn't growing. It was a rare sight and it triggered a memory from some forty years ago.
When I was a child my Dad was a Dairy Farmer too and I remember being in the cattle shed during the winter feeling the warmth from the cows and the unmistakable smells of the beasts, their food and their wastes. But most of all I recall the day in Spring when they were finally turned out. It is an unforgettable sight; that small herd of cows released after perhaps 3 months inside. I remember them galloping and bucking with the sheer exuberance of being released back out in the pastures.
Golfy and I had a good day and I gave him an overview of my current project to give him an idea of how things are done. It looks like we will be working together for the next few weeks at least. I have to say that this might seem to be a case of the blind leading the blind but, as we both agreed, we old enough to ask for help and guidance so I'm sure things will be fine.
I returned home early as TP had been off school sick and he was still huddled on the sofa. He appears brighter this evening and I think he may be fighting off a cold.
As for me my evening started with the rubbing of cure in to the loin of pork. I then came to my laptop to write this Journal entry .....
..... that was my mistake. I now have to arrange to fly to Boston next week for a Customer visit. I really should turn off the instant messaging software but that would only have delayed the request. Ho Hum!
It is Golfy's birthday to day and he is 294* I therefore decanted a portion of the 2010 Blackberry Vodka for him and took it in as a gift. He seemed to be delighted and took a sip from the bottle at approximately 9.15 am. That is, perhaps, a glimpse in to his near future as a possible way of dealing with the new job.
The unexpected sight - Yes, I'm getting to that - on the way in to work I saw a small herd of Fresians strip grazing a fodder crop. "So" you might ask, "what is so unusual about that?". It is the middle of January and it is rare to see dairy cattle turned out in Winter. They are usually housed in barns and fed on silage, hay and concentrates rather than go to the effort of turning them out to graze pasture that isn't growing. It was a rare sight and it triggered a memory from some forty years ago.
When I was a child my Dad was a Dairy Farmer too and I remember being in the cattle shed during the winter feeling the warmth from the cows and the unmistakable smells of the beasts, their food and their wastes. But most of all I recall the day in Spring when they were finally turned out. It is an unforgettable sight; that small herd of cows released after perhaps 3 months inside. I remember them galloping and bucking with the sheer exuberance of being released back out in the pastures.
Golfy and I had a good day and I gave him an overview of my current project to give him an idea of how things are done. It looks like we will be working together for the next few weeks at least. I have to say that this might seem to be a case of the blind leading the blind but, as we both agreed, we old enough to ask for help and guidance so I'm sure things will be fine.
I returned home early as TP had been off school sick and he was still huddled on the sofa. He appears brighter this evening and I think he may be fighting off a cold.
As for me my evening started with the rubbing of cure in to the loin of pork. I then came to my laptop to write this Journal entry .....
..... that was my mistake. I now have to arrange to fly to Boston next week for a Customer visit. I really should turn off the instant messaging software but that would only have delayed the request. Ho Hum!
--------------------
* in cat years
Sunday, 9 January 2011
Eggs & Bacon
Today started with a whizz over to the Rugby club for 10 o'clock only to find that TP's team had an away match but we seemed to have been missed off the email advising us of the location and time of kick off. Having missed the match we left TP to his own devices in the car and took T&M for a walk over the fields behind the pitches. There seemed little point in simply turning round and going straight home as T&M seem to enjoy walks in pastures new.
The missed rugby match meant that I had regained an hour of my life and used this to start the curing of a large loin of pork that 30% had picked up in Tesco on Friday. The plan for this piece of meat is to produce some more Black Bacon following the success of our first attempt that was devoured over Christmas.
The Loin will be massaged in a dry cure daily for the next five or six days before being washed and soaked and then massaged in black treacle for a further week. The result should be a fine piece of Black Back Bacon ......
...... and perfect timing too as the first egg of the year was laid by one of the Minorca's this morning. About time too - those idle hens haven't laid an egg for the best part of 4 months as the moult and the diminishing day lengths inhibit their laying. I'm not expecting a glut anytime soon as it could be days before she lays again and weeks before her colleagues decide to pitch in. That's the thing with older hens, they lay lovely big eggs but not many of them.
This afternoon 30% has planned our US Road Trip and TP and I have pretended to help by nodding and saying yes at the appropriate points.This is not wholly true but apparently my tangential research in to how much a bison would cost* was "Not Helping".
* a calf is in the region of $700 - $1200
The missed rugby match meant that I had regained an hour of my life and used this to start the curing of a large loin of pork that 30% had picked up in Tesco on Friday. The plan for this piece of meat is to produce some more Black Bacon following the success of our first attempt that was devoured over Christmas.
The Loin will be massaged in a dry cure daily for the next five or six days before being washed and soaked and then massaged in black treacle for a further week. The result should be a fine piece of Black Back Bacon ......
...... and perfect timing too as the first egg of the year was laid by one of the Minorca's this morning. About time too - those idle hens haven't laid an egg for the best part of 4 months as the moult and the diminishing day lengths inhibit their laying. I'm not expecting a glut anytime soon as it could be days before she lays again and weeks before her colleagues decide to pitch in. That's the thing with older hens, they lay lovely big eggs but not many of them.
This afternoon 30% has planned our US Road Trip and TP and I have pretended to help by nodding and saying yes at the appropriate points.This is not wholly true but apparently my tangential research in to how much a bison would cost* was "Not Helping".
---------------------------------
* a calf is in the region of $700 - $1200
Saturday, 8 January 2011
Dog House
Funnily enough this is not a Tyson or Marauder related Journal Entry.
It is a reference to TP's metaphorical location as, for the THIRD time, he has gone straight from school to a friend's home and not bothered to 'phone to say he has arrived.
I'm not, or at least I don't think I am, an over protective parent, and I have not spent the past 24 hours fretting but it would be nice if the little git took 2 minutes of his life to phone home.
It is a reference to TP's metaphorical location as, for the THIRD time, he has gone straight from school to a friend's home and not bothered to 'phone to say he has arrived.
I'm not, or at least I don't think I am, an over protective parent, and I have not spent the past 24 hours fretting but it would be nice if the little git took 2 minutes of his life to phone home.
Friday, 7 January 2011
A quiet day
Things have been quiet all week and I am starting to look at some on-line education to keep me occupied, fill some knowledge gaps and place ticks in boxes.
Mind you, after yesterday's entry I am also tempted to look at jobs where the salaries are on the increase as Dante's salary reduction tactics i.e. not applying inflationary increases means that within a short space of time I will be able to slip from a Technical Sales role to a B&Q shelf stacker with no impact on annual income. Plus I will then get a substantial discount on DIY materials and be able to shrug aimlessly at customers and direct them to the wrong end of the store before buggering off for a tea break.
Dad popped in for coffee this morning and brought Tilly with him. He disappeared with a couple of frozen packs of pea and ham soup and a large jar of pickled eggs. He has promised to drop off some of his tomato soup when he next visits. We do this often - swapping food and recipes - and it is always a delight. His most recent offering was a pork terrine that Younger Brother dropped off when I helped him out with his dissertation a couple of days back.
TP is spending the night over at a friend's so it was just 30% and I that sat down to a couple of fine steaks from a local farm washed down with a 2002 Faustino IV Reserva. 30% commented that it was quite a fine bottle of wine to open just because it was Friday but we agreed the steaks definitely deserved it.
Mind you, after yesterday's entry I am also tempted to look at jobs where the salaries are on the increase as Dante's salary reduction tactics i.e. not applying inflationary increases means that within a short space of time I will be able to slip from a Technical Sales role to a B&Q shelf stacker with no impact on annual income. Plus I will then get a substantial discount on DIY materials and be able to shrug aimlessly at customers and direct them to the wrong end of the store before buggering off for a tea break.
Dad popped in for coffee this morning and brought Tilly with him. He disappeared with a couple of frozen packs of pea and ham soup and a large jar of pickled eggs. He has promised to drop off some of his tomato soup when he next visits. We do this often - swapping food and recipes - and it is always a delight. His most recent offering was a pork terrine that Younger Brother dropped off when I helped him out with his dissertation a couple of days back.
TP is spending the night over at a friend's so it was just 30% and I that sat down to a couple of fine steaks from a local farm washed down with a 2002 Faustino IV Reserva. 30% commented that it was quite a fine bottle of wine to open just because it was Friday but we agreed the steaks definitely deserved it.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
Think of a Number .....
Today is the point in Dante's Staff Appraisal Process where I get to meet with my Manager and he tells me how I have done in the past year, what my performance rating is and the things I should look to do in the next 12 months.
Any of you who don't work for Dante's will be possibly thinking "seems fair enough" but those who do will either be sniggering cynically or frothing at the mouth.
You see, Dante's appraisal system is a little odd in that it has a stated aim*** of driving up the performance level of its personnel. One can understand that any organisation would want to do this to be competitive and it does, of course, use mentoring and training* to do this. It also, and here's the rub, has quotas for each Performance Grade.
This makes it very rough on those who are at the point between one grading and another. There appears to be no lee way; x% are top performers and get the benefits. You may have worked your whatsits off during the year but if your face doesn't fit and the bullshit you and your Feedback providers have given is not up to the mark, then forget it. I probably also need to point out that it is a qualitative system rather than a quantitative system so the judgements are made on the basis of narrative and perception rather than fact finding.
I suppose, at this point, that I should state that I did OK. not "great", not even "not quite great", but "OK". This is what I had expected. I have just moved to a new role and could hardly be expected to be winning hearts and minds with little or no experience, but I did OK.
Where this approach is especially rough is at the lower end of the performance spectrum where a low grading can result in all sorts of management focus and activities to "up one's game". That is all well and good if you truly need to pull up your socks but what about the poor sods that have been pushed in to that category by the immovable clip levels that are in place. They were doing fine. They weren't top flight bods but they were there keeping things running and fixing broke things. They were perhaps, never going to set the world on fire but they are a necessary part of the organisation and understandably tend to get very demotivated when they get a crappy rating just because a management policy set a quota rather than developing a review system that actually attempts to accurately rate personnel.
There are countless gripes and issues with the system and one of the major ones is that it is securely linked to the pecuniary rewards. Consequently one can have worked one's balls off but be just outside the clip level and get sweet F A when the pay rises are announced. I have encountered this situation personally and know how insulting it is to be told that you are situated high in your performance category. So what, when push comes to shove there are no formal gradations in that category so I am just the same as the slacker that has managed to pull their socks up and crawl from an "unsatisfactory" to a "satisfactory".
I know this is a difficult task. A lifetime ago I used to appraise staff and I know how hard it is to stray away from the middle ground and define someone as a star or as crap but that is what is needed. Managers who know their people and can identify wheat and chaff.
I could go on about this "ad nauseam" but the bottom line is that an Appraisal System should be just that. A system that evaluates an organisations personnel. Dante's seem to have bastardised that in to some form of black joke that doesn't stand up well to scrutiny.
** usually around 2nd February
*** as for it's unstated aims -"don't go there".
Any of you who don't work for Dante's will be possibly thinking "seems fair enough" but those who do will either be sniggering cynically or frothing at the mouth.
You see, Dante's appraisal system is a little odd in that it has a stated aim*** of driving up the performance level of its personnel. One can understand that any organisation would want to do this to be competitive and it does, of course, use mentoring and training* to do this. It also, and here's the rub, has quotas for each Performance Grade.
This makes it very rough on those who are at the point between one grading and another. There appears to be no lee way; x% are top performers and get the benefits. You may have worked your whatsits off during the year but if your face doesn't fit and the bullshit you and your Feedback providers have given is not up to the mark, then forget it. I probably also need to point out that it is a qualitative system rather than a quantitative system so the judgements are made on the basis of narrative and perception rather than fact finding.
I suppose, at this point, that I should state that I did OK. not "great", not even "not quite great", but "OK". This is what I had expected. I have just moved to a new role and could hardly be expected to be winning hearts and minds with little or no experience, but I did OK.
Where this approach is especially rough is at the lower end of the performance spectrum where a low grading can result in all sorts of management focus and activities to "up one's game". That is all well and good if you truly need to pull up your socks but what about the poor sods that have been pushed in to that category by the immovable clip levels that are in place. They were doing fine. They weren't top flight bods but they were there keeping things running and fixing broke things. They were perhaps, never going to set the world on fire but they are a necessary part of the organisation and understandably tend to get very demotivated when they get a crappy rating just because a management policy set a quota rather than developing a review system that actually attempts to accurately rate personnel.
There are countless gripes and issues with the system and one of the major ones is that it is securely linked to the pecuniary rewards. Consequently one can have worked one's balls off but be just outside the clip level and get sweet F A when the pay rises are announced. I have encountered this situation personally and know how insulting it is to be told that you are situated high in your performance category. So what, when push comes to shove there are no formal gradations in that category so I am just the same as the slacker that has managed to pull their socks up and crawl from an "unsatisfactory" to a "satisfactory".
I know this is a difficult task. A lifetime ago I used to appraise staff and I know how hard it is to stray away from the middle ground and define someone as a star or as crap but that is what is needed. Managers who know their people and can identify wheat and chaff.
I could go on about this "ad nauseam" but the bottom line is that an Appraisal System should be just that. A system that evaluates an organisations personnel. Dante's seem to have bastardised that in to some form of black joke that doesn't stand up well to scrutiny.
--------------------------
* Provided that you can book and complete your course before the budget is frozen**** usually around 2nd February
*** as for it's unstated aims -"don't go there".
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Picture Post
A quiet day at work and so I have taken the opportunity to trawl through My Pictures and present this one.
I took it at San Diego zoo back in August 2006 when we took our first road-trip. I love the pattern on the Hippo's skin made by the sunlight hitting the waters surface.
I took it at San Diego zoo back in August 2006 when we took our first road-trip. I love the pattern on the Hippo's skin made by the sunlight hitting the waters surface.
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Back to work
Tuesday was my first day back in front of the laptop after the Christmas and New Year break.
It was a relatively quiet day as the 4th of January was the deadline date for my current project and we are now hopefully in to a lull whilst the client makes some decisions. There are a few loose ends to be tied and whilst addressing one of these I noted how my world had turned during the past year.
Early in 2010 I became aware of a very senior member of staff at Dante's Nine Circles of Hell. I became aware of him because he used to send legally necessary missives to me and five thousand of my colleagues telling us that 20% of us were to be made redundant. They were neither pleasant or unpleasant mails. Just communications that had to be made as part of a headcount reduction and the associated UK legislation. It was a rough few months and I was one of the lucky ones.
During that process and, in part, as a result of the negative feelings it evoked, I decided to take on a new role at Dante's - pushing another boulder incessantly up the hill - as it were.
The net result of the role change is that this Senior Daemon now e-mails me personally and even bothers to send a "Thank you" when I reply.
The holidays are over and most people are back at work. This means that I can retake my walk and not have to utter a jovial greeting every 400 yards to a bunch of people who I have never seen before and am highly unlikely to see again.
Christmas Holiday walkers ...... its not a crime. I can understand why people would want to take a walk at Christmas. After all, the weather was fantastic and there is nothing like exercise to shift the uncomfortable stuffed feeling that follows a full breakfast, followed by chocolate, incessant nibbles and a colossal turkey dinner.
As I said, its not a crime but I have found that I have become very possessive about my walking routes and strangers are not particularly welcomed. I am not alone in this feeling and other regular walkers feel the same....
...... and that is the peculiar thing. I am quite happy to bump in to other regular walkers but the "Christmas Walkers" are a source of mild irritation. Why is that? I suppose one of the factors is that my fellow Regulars are used to each others dogs and accept the canine chaos that ensues when dogs meet up and perform the obligatory chasing round in circles accompanied by enthusiastic barks. Christmas Walkers, on the other hand are an unknown and I end up frequently calling T&M back and restraining them to avoid startling these "once a year walkers".
As I jot this down I think fondly of Francis who died sadly and unexpectedly at the beginning of 2010. I didn't know her particularly well but we used to meet regularly when walking and she shared this view. She was a vivacious retired nurse who was "mum" to Mungo and Fidey.
It was a relatively quiet day as the 4th of January was the deadline date for my current project and we are now hopefully in to a lull whilst the client makes some decisions. There are a few loose ends to be tied and whilst addressing one of these I noted how my world had turned during the past year.
Early in 2010 I became aware of a very senior member of staff at Dante's Nine Circles of Hell. I became aware of him because he used to send legally necessary missives to me and five thousand of my colleagues telling us that 20% of us were to be made redundant. They were neither pleasant or unpleasant mails. Just communications that had to be made as part of a headcount reduction and the associated UK legislation. It was a rough few months and I was one of the lucky ones.
During that process and, in part, as a result of the negative feelings it evoked, I decided to take on a new role at Dante's - pushing another boulder incessantly up the hill - as it were.
The net result of the role change is that this Senior Daemon now e-mails me personally and even bothers to send a "Thank you" when I reply.
----------------------
But that wasn't what I had planned to note down today.The holidays are over and most people are back at work. This means that I can retake my walk and not have to utter a jovial greeting every 400 yards to a bunch of people who I have never seen before and am highly unlikely to see again.
Christmas Holiday walkers ...... its not a crime. I can understand why people would want to take a walk at Christmas. After all, the weather was fantastic and there is nothing like exercise to shift the uncomfortable stuffed feeling that follows a full breakfast, followed by chocolate, incessant nibbles and a colossal turkey dinner.
As I said, its not a crime but I have found that I have become very possessive about my walking routes and strangers are not particularly welcomed. I am not alone in this feeling and other regular walkers feel the same....
...... and that is the peculiar thing. I am quite happy to bump in to other regular walkers but the "Christmas Walkers" are a source of mild irritation. Why is that? I suppose one of the factors is that my fellow Regulars are used to each others dogs and accept the canine chaos that ensues when dogs meet up and perform the obligatory chasing round in circles accompanied by enthusiastic barks. Christmas Walkers, on the other hand are an unknown and I end up frequently calling T&M back and restraining them to avoid startling these "once a year walkers".
As I jot this down I think fondly of Francis who died sadly and unexpectedly at the beginning of 2010. I didn't know her particularly well but we used to meet regularly when walking and she shared this view. She was a vivacious retired nurse who was "mum" to Mungo and Fidey.
Monday, 3 January 2011
Helping Out
A large chunk of my final day of holiday was spent in the company of my much younger brother.
We don't see a lot of each other as he is currently away at University in Cardiff where he is studying Illustration. The reason for the visit was that he wanted me to give his Dissertation a look over and see whether I could assist with its readability.....
...... after a few hours on the Psychology of motivation and creativity I have to say that my head hurt.
I hope he does OK. It is nerve racking to take apart sentences on a subject one is not overly familiar with and reassemble them hoping to clarify thoughts and arguments.
We don't see a lot of each other as he is currently away at University in Cardiff where he is studying Illustration. The reason for the visit was that he wanted me to give his Dissertation a look over and see whether I could assist with its readability.....
...... after a few hours on the Psychology of motivation and creativity I have to say that my head hurt.
I hope he does OK. It is nerve racking to take apart sentences on a subject one is not overly familiar with and reassemble them hoping to clarify thoughts and arguments.
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Advance Planning
30% and I are air-miles collectors, or rather the credit cards we use allow air-miles to be taken as an alternative to in-store discounts. With the increasingly wide availability of card payments points we simply make the majority of our purchases via a credit card and then settle the account at the end of each month. This approach allows us to rack up as many air-miles as possible at no cost other than a little discipline around payment method and account settlement.
Today we reaped the rewards as we booked 3 flights out to LasVegas in August. We don't plan to spend much time at all in Vegas, it is simply a reasonable entry and exit point for a road trip through some of the Western States. There are always plenty of hotels and hire cars available and fight availability is good via the air-miles site. We plan to head North from LasVegas towards Yellowstone but at the moment that's the sum total of our planning. Some of my colleagues have suggested that the Grand Tetons are a "must" if visiting Yellowstone so the route is likely to take in that National Park.
We have been out West a couple of time before and I absolutely adore the Western States I have visited; California, Arizona, Utah and Colorado. I even enjoyed the desert landscapes of Nevada so am really looking forward to the next trip.
We didn't quite have enough air-miles to get three free trips but the discount was excellent and we have three flights for the price of one and plenty of air-miles left over to book the hire car.
Roll on August.
Today we reaped the rewards as we booked 3 flights out to LasVegas in August. We don't plan to spend much time at all in Vegas, it is simply a reasonable entry and exit point for a road trip through some of the Western States. There are always plenty of hotels and hire cars available and fight availability is good via the air-miles site. We plan to head North from LasVegas towards Yellowstone but at the moment that's the sum total of our planning. Some of my colleagues have suggested that the Grand Tetons are a "must" if visiting Yellowstone so the route is likely to take in that National Park.
We have been out West a couple of time before and I absolutely adore the Western States I have visited; California, Arizona, Utah and Colorado. I even enjoyed the desert landscapes of Nevada so am really looking forward to the next trip.
We didn't quite have enough air-miles to get three free trips but the discount was excellent and we have three flights for the price of one and plenty of air-miles left over to book the hire car.
Roll on August.
Saturday, 1 January 2011
New Year seems a bit of an odd celebration to me. It is, after all, an entirely artificial point in the calendar. If one were looking for a significant date in the calendar that was a transitional point surely the Winter Solstice would be better, not from a pseudo-Druidic religious viewpoint, but from a celestial mechanics perspective it is the point at which the days start to lengthen and therefore a more logical point to mark the end of one year and the beginning of another.
I appreciate that the majority in the Judea / Christian world go with 1st January but I just think it's a bit odd and to me 21st December is more significant as I know, from that point, that the days are getting longer and that, in time, the Spring will arrive with the associated explosion of life.
Even this suggestion is somewhat globally localised as the Southern Hemisphere would look to 21st June as their New Year as this is the point at which their days lengthen again.
Putting this aside, we had a normal Saturday really. Christmas debris was cleared and the pile of logs deposited near the garage just before Christmas was stacked under a tarpaulin with the assistance of TP.
We went to my Dad's for dinner and he had done a beautiful roast leg of lamb and, to 30%'s delight, a trifle for dessert.
I appreciate that the majority in the Judea / Christian world go with 1st January but I just think it's a bit odd and to me 21st December is more significant as I know, from that point, that the days are getting longer and that, in time, the Spring will arrive with the associated explosion of life.
Even this suggestion is somewhat globally localised as the Southern Hemisphere would look to 21st June as their New Year as this is the point at which their days lengthen again.
Putting this aside, we had a normal Saturday really. Christmas debris was cleared and the pile of logs deposited near the garage just before Christmas was stacked under a tarpaulin with the assistance of TP.
We went to my Dad's for dinner and he had done a beautiful roast leg of lamb and, to 30%'s delight, a trifle for dessert.
Friday, 31 December 2010
Advanced woodwork
30% claims not to know what a compound mitre is.
Having cut a slice of bread from the loaf this morning I'm not sure I believe her.
Having cut a slice of bread from the loaf this morning I'm not sure I believe her.
Thursday, 30 December 2010
Thursday
Thursday morning was spent attaching the TV wall bracket in our bedroom. All went well and within a relatively short time it was firmly fixed and vertical. TP and I then slid the TV in to position and I swore repeatedly as it was irritatingly out of true due to some play in the aforementioned bracket. This necessitated numerous trials and adjustments to resolve, but resolved it was. I can now report that horizons are appropriately horizontal and street scenes are no longer reminiscent of Pisa or some post-earthquake location.
My next mission is to raise floorboards to locate and route coaxial to enable connection to the Sky box.
Today like Wednesday and also Friday is a holiday for me but I have been persuaded to attend a number of relatively short but vital review calls. The persuasion was the unspoken and therefore incredibly sophisticated "its only a couple of hours over the three days" but I am realising how even a single conference call* takes away that holiday feeling because a colleague is now controlling my time.
It is Moneypenny's birthday today so we are off the spend the evening with James Bond and Moneypenny and our mutual friends, and childrens' TV Rag Doll characters, Rosie and Jim. A splendid time was had catching up on news and generally taking the rise out of each other whilst the collection of children disappeared to munch on pizza, play on the XBox360 and watch DVDs until a time far too late for even the eldest of them.
My next mission is to raise floorboards to locate and route coaxial to enable connection to the Sky box.
Today like Wednesday and also Friday is a holiday for me but I have been persuaded to attend a number of relatively short but vital review calls. The persuasion was the unspoken and therefore incredibly sophisticated "its only a couple of hours over the three days" but I am realising how even a single conference call* takes away that holiday feeling because a colleague is now controlling my time.
It is Moneypenny's birthday today so we are off the spend the evening with James Bond and Moneypenny and our mutual friends, and childrens' TV Rag Doll characters, Rosie and Jim. A splendid time was had catching up on news and generally taking the rise out of each other whilst the collection of children disappeared to munch on pizza, play on the XBox360 and watch DVDs until a time far too late for even the eldest of them.
---------------------------
* Never mind the necessary follow up emails that then seem to be absolutely vital.
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Hunter Wellingtons aren't worth the money
A real pea souper today that didn't clear.
A quiet day involving little more than a walk and a trip in to town to pick up a bracket to wall mount the new TV. You can tell it was quiet when a seasonal visit by Village Idiot gets a mention in The Journal. He was his usual self recounting tales of his Christmas Budget; £27.00, and the fact that he had already knackered his new Wellingtons shifting the lorry battery that he uses to wedge shut* the door on his fowl pen.
This provoked a rural Consumer Review and both VI and I agreed that there is absolutely no point in buying expensive wellies as they do not appear to have a longer lifespan than cheap ones. My last pair were Argylls that I inherited from my Dad who, in turn, acquired them from Ministry of Agriculture stores. These were at least 16 years old when they gave up the ghost in the January 2010 snows. I nipped on to one of the local feed merchants to get a replacement pair and briefly toyed with a pair of Hunters but these are for people with thinner calves than mine so opted for a replacement pair of Argylls. I noted, with mild interest, that Argylls are also produced by Hunter and state that clearly inside the boot.
I hated the damn things from the start. They were floppy and rubbery rather than firm but pliable like the previous pair and never gripped the foot properly as the old ones did. I persevered but never really bonded so it is with mixed feelings that I point out that they have worn out in less than 10 months. I kid you not - I haven't punctured them or ripped the upper - I have actually managed to walk the heels off them in under a year.
I only wear them when it absolutely soaking so it is not as though I have used them day in day out but my road test suggests that most of the £30 I spent on them was pure profit as a pair of Dunlops are about £12 and I am pretty damn sure they will give me at least as much mileage.
I cant believe I have just written a review of a pair of Wellies but, thinking about it, I wish someone had 12 months ago.
A quiet day involving little more than a walk and a trip in to town to pick up a bracket to wall mount the new TV. You can tell it was quiet when a seasonal visit by Village Idiot gets a mention in The Journal. He was his usual self recounting tales of his Christmas Budget; £27.00, and the fact that he had already knackered his new Wellingtons shifting the lorry battery that he uses to wedge shut* the door on his fowl pen.
This provoked a rural Consumer Review and both VI and I agreed that there is absolutely no point in buying expensive wellies as they do not appear to have a longer lifespan than cheap ones. My last pair were Argylls that I inherited from my Dad who, in turn, acquired them from Ministry of Agriculture stores. These were at least 16 years old when they gave up the ghost in the January 2010 snows. I nipped on to one of the local feed merchants to get a replacement pair and briefly toyed with a pair of Hunters but these are for people with thinner calves than mine so opted for a replacement pair of Argylls. I noted, with mild interest, that Argylls are also produced by Hunter and state that clearly inside the boot.
I hated the damn things from the start. They were floppy and rubbery rather than firm but pliable like the previous pair and never gripped the foot properly as the old ones did. I persevered but never really bonded so it is with mixed feelings that I point out that they have worn out in less than 10 months. I kid you not - I haven't punctured them or ripped the upper - I have actually managed to walk the heels off them in under a year.
I only wear them when it absolutely soaking so it is not as though I have used them day in day out but my road test suggests that most of the £30 I spent on them was pure profit as a pair of Dunlops are about £12 and I am pretty damn sure they will give me at least as much mileage.
I cant believe I have just written a review of a pair of Wellies but, thinking about it, I wish someone had 12 months ago.
-----------------------------------
* when I re-read this before publishing this read "wedge shit the door". Having seen the state of VI's fowl pen, either will suffice
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
Tuesday was another lazy day and I make no apology for my slothful nature.
Prior to the Christmas break I had been very busy and am now taking time to recharge the batteries as the New Year may be even more manic if the project goes well.
Today 30%'s ex frolleague * Jules came over for the day and they both joined me and T&M on our morning walk through the slush. After a splendid lunch** we drove in to Stratford for a wander round the Sales. I escorted TP, who is now upright and clothed whilst 30% and Jules disappeared in search of bargains.
I wasn't really in a shopping mood but did cash in a Waterstones gift card and walked out with Bill Bryson's At Home - A Short history of Private Life and Iain M Banks' Surface Detail. I just need to finish Frankie Boyle's My Shit Life so Far which is laugh out loud funny but, by it's own admission, far from literature.
** Brisket; slow cooked in Stout
Prior to the Christmas break I had been very busy and am now taking time to recharge the batteries as the New Year may be even more manic if the project goes well.
Today 30%'s ex frolleague * Jules came over for the day and they both joined me and T&M on our morning walk through the slush. After a splendid lunch** we drove in to Stratford for a wander round the Sales. I escorted TP, who is now upright and clothed whilst 30% and Jules disappeared in search of bargains.
I wasn't really in a shopping mood but did cash in a Waterstones gift card and walked out with Bill Bryson's At Home - A Short history of Private Life and Iain M Banks' Surface Detail. I just need to finish Frankie Boyle's My Shit Life so Far which is laugh out loud funny but, by it's own admission, far from literature.
--------------------------------------
* Frolleague - Noun, portmanteau word, a colleague who is also a friend. ** Brisket; slow cooked in Stout
Monday, 27 December 2010
The Thaw
I managed to have a lie-in this morning and it was gone eight o'clock before I rose and went through the morning ritual of turning on the coffee machine before letting out T&M and then going out side to feed and liberate the chickens.
I noticed that the air was much warmer and everywhere I could hear repeated dripping as the snow started to melt. I shall miss it. I have enjoyed the beauty it has brought and the associated cold doesn't worry me one bit but now we have the thaw. That few days where it lingers in shady corners but turns to brown slush so quickly everywhere else. It is peculiar how it goes from being lovely when all encompassing to being most unattractive as it starts to run away.
I checked the outside taps and was somewhat relived to find that all are running and that we have no bursts. Note to self; lag the taps before the next major freeze.
TP had another lazy day today but was well enough to dress and his appetite is returning. 30% and I nipped in to one of the local towns to have a wander round the Sales and return a couple of "wrong size" items. We managed to return with a Super King size duvet and a 32" flat screen TV for our bedroom.
I now see a couple of projects in my near future; one involving mounting the TV on the wall and the other necessitating the lifting of a couple of floor boards to locate the coaxial cable that the electrician left behind when the extension was built. This will allow me to pipe the satellite TV through to the two main bedrooms in the house.
I noticed that the air was much warmer and everywhere I could hear repeated dripping as the snow started to melt. I shall miss it. I have enjoyed the beauty it has brought and the associated cold doesn't worry me one bit but now we have the thaw. That few days where it lingers in shady corners but turns to brown slush so quickly everywhere else. It is peculiar how it goes from being lovely when all encompassing to being most unattractive as it starts to run away.
I checked the outside taps and was somewhat relived to find that all are running and that we have no bursts. Note to self; lag the taps before the next major freeze.
TP had another lazy day today but was well enough to dress and his appetite is returning. 30% and I nipped in to one of the local towns to have a wander round the Sales and return a couple of "wrong size" items. We managed to return with a Super King size duvet and a 32" flat screen TV for our bedroom.
I now see a couple of projects in my near future; one involving mounting the TV on the wall and the other necessitating the lifting of a couple of floor boards to locate the coaxial cable that the electrician left behind when the extension was built. This will allow me to pipe the satellite TV through to the two main bedrooms in the house.
Sunday, 26 December 2010
Best Day of the holiday
That's how my Dad refers to Boxing Day. All of the stress, hassle, obligations and expectations of Christmas Day have gone away and you have time to enjoy yourselves, doing what you like with no tradition or rigmarole to follow.
I am inclined to agree.
TP is still unwell but is vastly improved from the 24th. Today was a Duvet Day for him. He snuggled up on the sofa in front of the fire, watched the beginnings of a few films and then slept through the endings.
30% seemed intent on staying in her pyjamas but I coaxed her out of them and we took T&M for a walk in the afternoon.
All in all we have had a most splendid day. A modicum of exercise has been taken so that we can avoid any self imposed accusations of laziness and the rest of the day was spent in front of the fire eating and drinking as we liked.
On the subject of food a couple of projects have been sampled over the Christmas period and they all get the big thumbs up. The Black Bacon made a beautiful breakfast on Christmas Day. The Blackberry Vodka went down very well with 30%'s relatives and I have found that it is so much more than a liqueur as, when mixed with lemonade, produces a quality alcopop. The surprise eggsperiment was a jar of surplus eggs that I pickled in a white balsamic vinegar. These are a real surprise and a million miles away from the acidic bullets sold in fish and chip shops. I love balsamic vinegar so they had a head start but the sweetness combined with the tartness of the vinegar works beautifully to give them a real lift and make them worthy inclusions on the Christmas pickle tray.
I am inclined to agree.
TP is still unwell but is vastly improved from the 24th. Today was a Duvet Day for him. He snuggled up on the sofa in front of the fire, watched the beginnings of a few films and then slept through the endings.
30% seemed intent on staying in her pyjamas but I coaxed her out of them and we took T&M for a walk in the afternoon.
All in all we have had a most splendid day. A modicum of exercise has been taken so that we can avoid any self imposed accusations of laziness and the rest of the day was spent in front of the fire eating and drinking as we liked.
On the subject of food a couple of projects have been sampled over the Christmas period and they all get the big thumbs up. The Black Bacon made a beautiful breakfast on Christmas Day. The Blackberry Vodka went down very well with 30%'s relatives and I have found that it is so much more than a liqueur as, when mixed with lemonade, produces a quality alcopop. The surprise eggsperiment was a jar of surplus eggs that I pickled in a white balsamic vinegar. These are a real surprise and a million miles away from the acidic bullets sold in fish and chip shops. I love balsamic vinegar so they had a head start but the sweetness combined with the tartness of the vinegar works beautifully to give them a real lift and make them worthy inclusions on the Christmas pickle tray.
Saturday, 25 December 2010
White Christmas
and the award for the most unoriginal Journal entry title goes to ...........
Having said that, this is the first occasion in my life that I can recall snow on the ground at Christmas. Falls like this are very rare in this part of the Country. They do occur every ten to fifteen years but they are usually much later in the Winter. The snow at present is spectacular but I will get to that in a minute.
It's Christmas Day and I woke at just gone 5. "Ah!" You're saying, "excited kids". "Bollocks" is my witty response. TP is 14 and far too laid back to get up at Godawful o'clock. No, the reason for my early start is that the alarm at the local Doctor's Surgery decided to go off and it is somewhat piercing. The lack of a contact number meant that there was a chat with nice lady at the end of the Non-emergency Police Phone Line. This isn't the first time the alarm has gone faulty and I have the suspicion that ultimately a call will need to be made to Environmental Health to get the situation resolved.
It is unfortunate that the Doctor lives out of earshot of the fucking thing and consequently relies on our kindness to alert him. It is also unfortunate that he is too tight to have the damned thing linked in to a central point or have a service contract in place. He also seems to have forgotten to list any telephone numbers for facilities related issues. GIT!
Right, rant over, Christmas Day ........
....... it is likley to be a quiet one as TP is recovering from a dose of Swine Flue that he picked up whilst away at his Grandma's and 30% is none too bright having been working very long hours recently. I appear to be the only one in full health but I seem to have a strange ringing in my ears all the time ......
We are visiting 30%'s parents for Dinner this evening so have much the day to relax and exchange gifts and have snoozes in front of the fire.
I took T&M for a walk in the morning and the weather was amazing. There had been a haw frost overnight and as I walked huge icy flakes fell from the trees against the clear blue sky. It was quite surreal as it seemed like snow was falling from a cloudless sky.
Having said that, this is the first occasion in my life that I can recall snow on the ground at Christmas. Falls like this are very rare in this part of the Country. They do occur every ten to fifteen years but they are usually much later in the Winter. The snow at present is spectacular but I will get to that in a minute.
It's Christmas Day and I woke at just gone 5. "Ah!" You're saying, "excited kids". "Bollocks" is my witty response. TP is 14 and far too laid back to get up at Godawful o'clock. No, the reason for my early start is that the alarm at the local Doctor's Surgery decided to go off and it is somewhat piercing. The lack of a contact number meant that there was a chat with nice lady at the end of the Non-emergency Police Phone Line. This isn't the first time the alarm has gone faulty and I have the suspicion that ultimately a call will need to be made to Environmental Health to get the situation resolved.
It is unfortunate that the Doctor lives out of earshot of the fucking thing and consequently relies on our kindness to alert him. It is also unfortunate that he is too tight to have the damned thing linked in to a central point or have a service contract in place. He also seems to have forgotten to list any telephone numbers for facilities related issues. GIT!
Right, rant over, Christmas Day ........
....... it is likley to be a quiet one as TP is recovering from a dose of Swine Flue that he picked up whilst away at his Grandma's and 30% is none too bright having been working very long hours recently. I appear to be the only one in full health but I seem to have a strange ringing in my ears all the time ......
We are visiting 30%'s parents for Dinner this evening so have much the day to relax and exchange gifts and have snoozes in front of the fire.
I took T&M for a walk in the morning and the weather was amazing. There had been a haw frost overnight and as I walked huge icy flakes fell from the trees against the clear blue sky. It was quite surreal as it seemed like snow was falling from a cloudless sky.
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| Snow & Ice |
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| Slippery & Steep |
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