Thursday came, and I had booked a day off work. Dad had bagged two complimentary tickets to the Rolling Roadshow, the first day of the Festival of Speed at Goodwood.
The Festival of Speed (FoS) is a petrolhead's wet dream, a living record of the racing industry from its early days in the 1910s and 1920s, all the way through to the current day. They have Formula One cars, Nascar entrants, touring cars, winners of Le Mans and supercars, as well as trade stalls showing all the latest street-legal and concept cars.
We got there by about 9am, and wandered in. The first stand / stall is the exhibition of the cars who will be driving up the hill. The whole thing about Goodwood is showing the cars off, how they drive, and during the day there was a steady procession of Fiats, Peugeots, Fords, Audis, Ferraris and others going up the hill.
I did suggest to Dad that he ring up Audi and ask for a trip up the hill; to be fair, he did, but unfortunately the woman he spoke to advised that she had already allocated all the spaces and so he was fresh out of luck. But that didn't ruin the day; we enjoyed ourselves and the weather stayed with us.
We skipped past the first stand and proceeded deeper in to the FoS. Dad had done some research and apparently there was a GT40 somewhere in there; Dad used to own a kit GT40, and so that was a highlight he was looking forward to. The way that the cars are displayed at FoS, you can walk up and down and in between them, peering into their cabins and inspecting their engines and exhausts. As I said, it's a petrolhead's dream. Dad was in his element; I was just there for the day out. We talked about allsorts; the economy, work, family, you name it. It was a nice relaxing day. The Thursday is normally busy but not crowded, and so it proved. Dad got to see his GT40 in the 'Style et Lux' paddock, which is where it really belongs; I'm not any kind of car specialist but the smooth curves of the GT are something to behold.
We left at about 1:30 or 1:45 and headed home, Dad had seen all he wanted to see and TW was busy in the afternoon and relying on neighbours to look after the kids, so it made sense.
It was a good day; it was good weather and it was nice to spend some time with the 'old man' (i.e., Dad). Hopefully we can have a few more like that during the summer.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Monday 14-06-23 (II) - Delays Ahead
So, on Monday morning I set off to work early, having already celebrated Eldest's birthday and opened her presents with her. As a family we were awake half an hour earlier than normal, and I thought I would take the opportunity to get to work early and start the week at a canter.
I headed to West Worthing station and jumped on the 07:47 and decided to change at Worthing; that normally means I can get a seat, and the train goes direct to Brighton. If I'm reading, or listening to a podcast, I can carry on uninterrupted. The other option is to change at Hove, which means (normally) waiting longer on Hove station, and then not getting a seat on the train. I know it's only two minutes from Hove to Brighton, but I like a sit-down if I can.
So I got on the train at Worthing, and it promptly went nowhere. The conductor advised that some piping had fallen off the bottom of one of the carriages, and they would attempt to fix it. This meant that they switched off the electricity feeding the tracks, and so all trains behind us were also delayed.
Eventually he advised that, due to the electric tracks and the hot train exhaust, they would not be able to rectify the issue, and so we were obliged to disembark and get on subsequent trains.
As a result, I didn't get into the office until 09:10, probably twenty minutes later than I would normally expect to arrive.
I am starting to believe that I am jinxed; life seems to plod on normally and all is well, usually, but as soon as I try something different or unusual, Fate slaps me down. So from now on, it's routine, routine, routine. I shall aim to be at the station in time to get the 08:02, and take it from there...
I headed to West Worthing station and jumped on the 07:47 and decided to change at Worthing; that normally means I can get a seat, and the train goes direct to Brighton. If I'm reading, or listening to a podcast, I can carry on uninterrupted. The other option is to change at Hove, which means (normally) waiting longer on Hove station, and then not getting a seat on the train. I know it's only two minutes from Hove to Brighton, but I like a sit-down if I can.
So I got on the train at Worthing, and it promptly went nowhere. The conductor advised that some piping had fallen off the bottom of one of the carriages, and they would attempt to fix it. This meant that they switched off the electricity feeding the tracks, and so all trains behind us were also delayed.
Eventually he advised that, due to the electric tracks and the hot train exhaust, they would not be able to rectify the issue, and so we were obliged to disembark and get on subsequent trains.
As a result, I didn't get into the office until 09:10, probably twenty minutes later than I would normally expect to arrive.
I am starting to believe that I am jinxed; life seems to plod on normally and all is well, usually, but as soon as I try something different or unusual, Fate slaps me down. So from now on, it's routine, routine, routine. I shall aim to be at the station in time to get the 08:02, and take it from there...
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Monday 14-06-23 (I) - A Birthday!
Monday was our Eldest's birthday. She was nine years old. She is so grown up, though, it is more like she's 12 or 13. She so wants to be a grown-up, it's a bit sad. I spend most of my time wishing I was a kid again, while she's wishing her childhood away.
TW did well with the presents, as usual; she managed to procure some dungarees off of eBay, BNWT (brand new with tags, for those of you not keeping up with the modern yootspeek). Also we got her a baseball jacket, which is nice in pink. Her aunt and uncle sent some lovely turquoise headphones, and her other aunt and uncle sent a bag, which Eldest liked very much. M&P got her some weights, and we also agreed she can have her ears pierced at the start of the summer holidays, so we gave her a voucher entitling the bearer to have her ears pierced at the Leisure Centre. No, I don't know why the Leisure Centre are piercing kids' ears, but apparently they are doing it much cheaper than anywhere else, so that is what we're going to do.
TW did well with the presents, as usual; she managed to procure some dungarees off of eBay, BNWT (brand new with tags, for those of you not keeping up with the modern yootspeek). Also we got her a baseball jacket, which is nice in pink. Her aunt and uncle sent some lovely turquoise headphones, and her other aunt and uncle sent a bag, which Eldest liked very much. M&P got her some weights, and we also agreed she can have her ears pierced at the start of the summer holidays, so we gave her a voucher entitling the bearer to have her ears pierced at the Leisure Centre. No, I don't know why the Leisure Centre are piercing kids' ears, but apparently they are doing it much cheaper than anywhere else, so that is what we're going to do.
Sunday 14-06-22 - The Day After
So it was the day after the Summer Fayre. And didn't I know about it. I had a horrible hangover, which I've not had in a long time, and in addition my body ached from all the standing I did while serving burgers and hot dogs on Saturday, as well as the lifting and carrying we did to tidy up afterwards.
Eldest wanted to go to Arundel Lido, which of course made my heart sink, as there was nothing I wanted more than to sit inside and not move all day, but I started to feel better about the possibility when TW advised there was shade. I could sit in the shade and read my newspaper, maybe? But then TW put her foot down and said no, it would cost £16 and that was too much. She was planning to take Eldest out for dinner the following day, so two treats in two days was out of the question.
We decided to go swimming instead at Splashpoint, which was a bit of a busman's holiday for TW considering she works there, but at least the kids were pleased and it was a good choice to soothe my aches and pains. Probably not the headache, given the noise levels, but you can't have everything, can you? We were joined in the pool by some friends and after the swim, when we were mooching in the cafe, they offered to look after the two youngest for the afternoon, which was nice. We arranged to go to theirs for a bbq later, so we dropped the kids off and went to Tesco to get supplies, and also a new phone for TW. She's been using a 7" tablet as a phone for the past three months or so, since hers just inexplicably stopped working. At least I get my tablet back. She got a nice Moto G, which I hope will last out the two year contract... We also bought a new TV, which was a bit unexpected, but we were planning to get one for the loft and they were selling them off, so I think we've done okay. Apparently though we do need an aerial, so I'll have to look into getting one - I'm hoping an indoor aerial might be sufficient, and they're only a fiver or so off of Amazon. We'll see...
The barbecue was nice and relaxed, despite the children all being in high spirits. It's amazing how much enjoyment can be extracted from a bit of sun and a paddling pool by five girls. I thought we had our hands full with three, it's quite crazy how much energy five children can expend when combined.
A couple of beers (quite literally, two cans) and then home. I could have quite easily gone to bed at nine I think, if I'd been on my own, but TW watched Masterchef and we headed up at ten, as usual.
It was a good day, despite the unpromising start. I really thought I'd prefer lying in my pit, but a bit of activity and conviviality goes a long way.
Eldest wanted to go to Arundel Lido, which of course made my heart sink, as there was nothing I wanted more than to sit inside and not move all day, but I started to feel better about the possibility when TW advised there was shade. I could sit in the shade and read my newspaper, maybe? But then TW put her foot down and said no, it would cost £16 and that was too much. She was planning to take Eldest out for dinner the following day, so two treats in two days was out of the question.
We decided to go swimming instead at Splashpoint, which was a bit of a busman's holiday for TW considering she works there, but at least the kids were pleased and it was a good choice to soothe my aches and pains. Probably not the headache, given the noise levels, but you can't have everything, can you? We were joined in the pool by some friends and after the swim, when we were mooching in the cafe, they offered to look after the two youngest for the afternoon, which was nice. We arranged to go to theirs for a bbq later, so we dropped the kids off and went to Tesco to get supplies, and also a new phone for TW. She's been using a 7" tablet as a phone for the past three months or so, since hers just inexplicably stopped working. At least I get my tablet back. She got a nice Moto G, which I hope will last out the two year contract... We also bought a new TV, which was a bit unexpected, but we were planning to get one for the loft and they were selling them off, so I think we've done okay. Apparently though we do need an aerial, so I'll have to look into getting one - I'm hoping an indoor aerial might be sufficient, and they're only a fiver or so off of Amazon. We'll see...
The barbecue was nice and relaxed, despite the children all being in high spirits. It's amazing how much enjoyment can be extracted from a bit of sun and a paddling pool by five girls. I thought we had our hands full with three, it's quite crazy how much energy five children can expend when combined.
A couple of beers (quite literally, two cans) and then home. I could have quite easily gone to bed at nine I think, if I'd been on my own, but TW watched Masterchef and we headed up at ten, as usual.
It was a good day, despite the unpromising start. I really thought I'd prefer lying in my pit, but a bit of activity and conviviality goes a long way.
Saturday 14-06-21 Summer Fayre Day
So, Saturday was the day of the summer 'fayre'. On Friday I was working like a Trojan to set it up, and Saturday afternoon I was drinking like a bastard to forget how involved I'd been.
In the morning, I served a *lot* of burgers and hotdogs. It was a hot, sunny day, and the barbecue stall was probably the busiest of the lot. Nothing like making things hard for myself. Oh, it started nice and slowly, but soon ramped up. At times it seemed that the queues were never-ending. In the two and a half hours we were trading, we sold all the meat we had - 250 burgers and 250 sausages, all at full price - which was a good deal. I think we were selling them cheaper than last year, so maybe we could have made more profit for the school funds, but we didn't have to discount any at the end to ensure we sold all the stock.
There was another helper, an old boy, who didn't appear to be interested in any system or organisation. He was a pain in the bum, swanning off and eating the burgers, or stealing the cheeseburgers I had asked for & planned to sell, or taking cash from my customers while I was sorting out the orders. Still, I suppose there always had to be at least one fly in the ointment.
So it was full-on for the full two and a half hours. And once the 'fayre' had ended, we needed to put things away, so we carried tables and hay bales, and deconstructed gazebos and drank beer. Did I say we drank beer? It didn't even feel like it touched the sides on the way down. Then, at about four pm we finished up and went to the pub, for more beers which slid down just as easily. That was a nice session; we all felt that we had achieved a lot, and we're all in a good mood. We were home by seven thirty or eight, to tell the truth I was quite drunk and can't recall precisely. But the kids were in bed and TW fell asleep on the sofa at a quarter to nine, so I brought her up to bed and went back down. I had another bottle of Fursty Ferret and a cider, and then came up to bed.
A full-on day, and I'm glad we only do it once a year!
In the morning, I served a *lot* of burgers and hotdogs. It was a hot, sunny day, and the barbecue stall was probably the busiest of the lot. Nothing like making things hard for myself. Oh, it started nice and slowly, but soon ramped up. At times it seemed that the queues were never-ending. In the two and a half hours we were trading, we sold all the meat we had - 250 burgers and 250 sausages, all at full price - which was a good deal. I think we were selling them cheaper than last year, so maybe we could have made more profit for the school funds, but we didn't have to discount any at the end to ensure we sold all the stock.
There was another helper, an old boy, who didn't appear to be interested in any system or organisation. He was a pain in the bum, swanning off and eating the burgers, or stealing the cheeseburgers I had asked for & planned to sell, or taking cash from my customers while I was sorting out the orders. Still, I suppose there always had to be at least one fly in the ointment.
So it was full-on for the full two and a half hours. And once the 'fayre' had ended, we needed to put things away, so we carried tables and hay bales, and deconstructed gazebos and drank beer. Did I say we drank beer? It didn't even feel like it touched the sides on the way down. Then, at about four pm we finished up and went to the pub, for more beers which slid down just as easily. That was a nice session; we all felt that we had achieved a lot, and we're all in a good mood. We were home by seven thirty or eight, to tell the truth I was quite drunk and can't recall precisely. But the kids were in bed and TW fell asleep on the sofa at a quarter to nine, so I brought her up to bed and went back down. I had another bottle of Fursty Ferret and a cider, and then came up to bed.
A full-on day, and I'm glad we only do it once a year!
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Friday 14-06-20
Friday was spent at school, preparing for the school summer 'fayre'. It was a day of hard work, lugging tables about and generally faffing. We put up gazebos, because the weather was great, and left them up overnight. TW drove to school and I walked with the children, which was nice. I'd taken the day off work to help TW set up, and it was a bit manky really. Obviously she had a plan of what she wanted to achieve, but to be honest, she's not very good at sharing the big picture. So I did bits and pieces, and everyone else (all women) remarked on how 'good' I was for taking time off and volunteering. I don't feel I did very much; I went to pick up a shop from Tesco Click and Collect, and I also went to the Post Office to pick up a Kindle Fire I'd bought from eBay.
I was begging to leave by 4:30, but as Molly in the Middle had a final practice for her country dancing demonstration on Saturday, we stayed quite late on Friday, putting the finishing touches to it all.
When I got home I tried to fire up the Kindle, but of course it was sold as faulty, and so it turned out. It did get past the boot-up screen to where I should have been able to unlock it; but unfortunately as soon as I touched it, the damned thing rebooted. Since then, I've not been able to get that far again; it's stuck on the boot screen, displaying 'Kindle Fire' in white and orange, and steadfastly refusing to be recognised by my laptop. If my laptop was able to recognise the Fire, it would be relatively straightforward to fix. Unfortunately these things are never straightforward for me... :) So now I've ordered a 'factory cable' and I hope that that might work. I *think* the device is not in fastboot mode, and I'm hoping that the cable can help force that. We'll see. If it doesn't work, I shall just put it back on eBay and sell it, hopefully for about as much as it cost me - £30 inc. P&P.
I was begging to leave by 4:30, but as Molly in the Middle had a final practice for her country dancing demonstration on Saturday, we stayed quite late on Friday, putting the finishing touches to it all.
When I got home I tried to fire up the Kindle, but of course it was sold as faulty, and so it turned out. It did get past the boot-up screen to where I should have been able to unlock it; but unfortunately as soon as I touched it, the damned thing rebooted. Since then, I've not been able to get that far again; it's stuck on the boot screen, displaying 'Kindle Fire' in white and orange, and steadfastly refusing to be recognised by my laptop. If my laptop was able to recognise the Fire, it would be relatively straightforward to fix. Unfortunately these things are never straightforward for me... :) So now I've ordered a 'factory cable' and I hope that that might work. I *think* the device is not in fastboot mode, and I'm hoping that the cable can help force that. We'll see. If it doesn't work, I shall just put it back on eBay and sell it, hopefully for about as much as it cost me - £30 inc. P&P.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Wednesday 14-06-18
Well, it's the third day and I think I've run out of things to say. I spent the day at work, the same as usual. I don't want to talk about work though, it's quite dull. It's just office work - relationship / account management.
I did hear a news item on Radio 4 this morning about making the school day longer, so that children will be able to do their homework at school. That doesn't make any sense to me; with my 'Dad' hat on, surely that means that the responsibility for bringing up our children is being taken away from us? And at Parents' Evening at the start of the year, it was stressed to us that bringing up the children was a shared responsibility between us as parents and the school. But if the school now take responsibility for the children doing their homework, surely that takes away our parental duties? Oh well, if that's the way they want it...
I've been quite busy on the Oneplus forums today, trying to get my greasy mitts on an invitation for a Oneplus One. I'm patient enough.
Anyway, that's enough for today - more of the same tomorrow, I expect.
I did hear a news item on Radio 4 this morning about making the school day longer, so that children will be able to do their homework at school. That doesn't make any sense to me; with my 'Dad' hat on, surely that means that the responsibility for bringing up our children is being taken away from us? And at Parents' Evening at the start of the year, it was stressed to us that bringing up the children was a shared responsibility between us as parents and the school. But if the school now take responsibility for the children doing their homework, surely that takes away our parental duties? Oh well, if that's the way they want it...
I've been quite busy on the Oneplus forums today, trying to get my greasy mitts on an invitation for a Oneplus One. I'm patient enough.
Anyway, that's enough for today - more of the same tomorrow, I expect.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Tuesday 14-06-17
So today I did something really Dad-like; I went to a presentation at Eldest's school about a week-long residential planned for September 2015. It looks like it's going to be pretty good fun; lots of outdoor adventure type stuff, but it's also going to be pretty expensive. We need to provide our £100 deposit by 11th July, and in total it's going to be £350 for a week away.
There are going to be 140 kids or so, and I'm sure they'll have a great time, it looks like what the Eldest did previously at her First School, but that was only a three day residential, which I believe was two full days' worth of activity. They are not allowed to take their phones with them (aged 10!) or anything they can put a SIM card in, so no iPads either :)
Eldest loved the three day residential, and I'm sure that she will love this. She was apparently really good at orienteering last time, and I hope that she finds a new skill this time out too.
Now we just need to decide where we are going to find the cash to pay for it. And then that will set the precedent, and the other two, "Molly in the Middle" and Youngest will also want to go. That's over £1k in the space of five years for a week away each. I don't think we paid that much to go to EuroDisney - in fact, I know we didn't. Ah, well, the alternative is that she stays at home and has an "activity week" at school. It might be worth £350 to have her go away for a week. In fact, if we pay £1,050 now, can TW & I have a free week? It might almost be worth it... :)
There are going to be 140 kids or so, and I'm sure they'll have a great time, it looks like what the Eldest did previously at her First School, but that was only a three day residential, which I believe was two full days' worth of activity. They are not allowed to take their phones with them (aged 10!) or anything they can put a SIM card in, so no iPads either :)
Eldest loved the three day residential, and I'm sure that she will love this. She was apparently really good at orienteering last time, and I hope that she finds a new skill this time out too.
Now we just need to decide where we are going to find the cash to pay for it. And then that will set the precedent, and the other two, "Molly in the Middle" and Youngest will also want to go. That's over £1k in the space of five years for a week away each. I don't think we paid that much to go to EuroDisney - in fact, I know we didn't. Ah, well, the alternative is that she stays at home and has an "activity week" at school. It might be worth £350 to have her go away for a week. In fact, if we pay £1,050 now, can TW & I have a free week? It might almost be worth it... :)
Monday 14-06-16
So, more GiL-related escapades today. GiL, that is, Grandmother-in-Law, not 'gilf'. Brrr, I've just made myself shudder. She's 96, you know. She doesn't have all her own teeth any more.
Anyway, the GiL.
As TW had looked after her all night in hospital and had only come to bed at 03:00, I made sure the girls were dressed and had sandwiches for school. I also walked them to school before setting off for work.
I had reached Brighton rail station before TW called and advised that the GiL had absconded from hospital. She'd walked out unnoticed, possibly in her slippers (although that's unconfirmed at this stage), without telling the staff she was going. I tried calling her home number (the GiL's, that is) but she wasn't there. I had a bit of a brainwave and called TW back to tell her she should alert GiL's neighbours that she might be coming home - after all, where else would she go? I got a pat on the back for that later on.
Apparently she was a 'misper' for a while - I knew those years of watching The Bill would come in handy - that means, the Police were supposed to be out scouring the streets to track her down. As it turned out TW drove to Angmering and knocked on the door, and GiL let her in. The police phoned later, while TW and the MiL (Mother-in-law, of course) were there.
It turns out that GiL had started cooking a microwave meal - not in the microwave though - oh no, perish the thought; she had taken it out of its sleeve and put it in a saucepan and was cooking it dry on one of the rings on top of the cooker. Because of course that makes much more sense. Then, of course she had forgotten what she was doing (I had to write that down so that I don't forget) and the neighbours spotted the smoke coming out of the door. Of course because she'd been melting plastic the firemen wanted to take her in to hospital for a check-up, but she refused to go. And that's when TW got involved and the whole circus began.
So one outcome, the immediate outcome, is that GiL's cooker is being disconnected and removed tomorrow. So that when she inevitably changes her mind in a week or so, she can't reconnect it. And we'll have to see what the other consequences are over the next few days.
Anyway, the GiL.
As TW had looked after her all night in hospital and had only come to bed at 03:00, I made sure the girls were dressed and had sandwiches for school. I also walked them to school before setting off for work.
I had reached Brighton rail station before TW called and advised that the GiL had absconded from hospital. She'd walked out unnoticed, possibly in her slippers (although that's unconfirmed at this stage), without telling the staff she was going. I tried calling her home number (the GiL's, that is) but she wasn't there. I had a bit of a brainwave and called TW back to tell her she should alert GiL's neighbours that she might be coming home - after all, where else would she go? I got a pat on the back for that later on.
Apparently she was a 'misper' for a while - I knew those years of watching The Bill would come in handy - that means, the Police were supposed to be out scouring the streets to track her down. As it turned out TW drove to Angmering and knocked on the door, and GiL let her in. The police phoned later, while TW and the MiL (Mother-in-law, of course) were there.
It turns out that GiL had started cooking a microwave meal - not in the microwave though - oh no, perish the thought; she had taken it out of its sleeve and put it in a saucepan and was cooking it dry on one of the rings on top of the cooker. Because of course that makes much more sense. Then, of course she had forgotten what she was doing (I had to write that down so that I don't forget) and the neighbours spotted the smoke coming out of the door. Of course because she'd been melting plastic the firemen wanted to take her in to hospital for a check-up, but she refused to go. And that's when TW got involved and the whole circus began.
So one outcome, the immediate outcome, is that GiL's cooker is being disconnected and removed tomorrow. So that when she inevitably changes her mind in a week or so, she can't reconnect it. And we'll have to see what the other consequences are over the next few days.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Sunday 14-06-15
So I have decided to try and write more often in this forum, and it seems like I chose the right day. I went with a friend to watch Sussex play Somerset at Arundel, and although it wasn't sunny, the clouds refused to share their load with us and we had a relaxed and enjoyable time. The only fly in the ointment was Sussex's refusal to win.
Unfortunately when we got home The Wife had to go to see her grandmother who had smoked out her house. She's still at the hospital now, so we'll have to see how things go there. I think that physically she's okay, we'll have to see what the doctors say.
The children all got on well and enjoyed each other's company. Because a friend was with TW, I and his partner had to wait at home with the kids until he returned. That was about nine pm, the two youngest had already gone to bed but our eldest who isn't nine years old yet was still up. I hope that they're all okay getting up in the morning. I shall be heading to bed very soon... Tomorrow looks like I might be working from home to ensure that The Wife gets a rest and I'm around in case I'm needed. I'm beginning to like working from home, it is a bit more relaxed and on occasion I actually get more done than I would in the office.
So, nighty night and maybe more of an update tomorrow - who knows?
Unfortunately when we got home The Wife had to go to see her grandmother who had smoked out her house. She's still at the hospital now, so we'll have to see how things go there. I think that physically she's okay, we'll have to see what the doctors say.
The children all got on well and enjoyed each other's company. Because a friend was with TW, I and his partner had to wait at home with the kids until he returned. That was about nine pm, the two youngest had already gone to bed but our eldest who isn't nine years old yet was still up. I hope that they're all okay getting up in the morning. I shall be heading to bed very soon... Tomorrow looks like I might be working from home to ensure that The Wife gets a rest and I'm around in case I'm needed. I'm beginning to like working from home, it is a bit more relaxed and on occasion I actually get more done than I would in the office.
So, nighty night and maybe more of an update tomorrow - who knows?
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