Yesterday we spent the afternoon with C&J, friends who live in Hailsham. The weather was awful; it was horribly foggy on the way over, and even worse on the way back. The time we spent there was lovely, it's always relaxed with them. TW has known them since her uni days, which is ~20 years, so half a lifetime. TW & J went off for a bit of charity shopping in town and I had a nap. The children played nicely and I think all in all a good day was had.
We travelled home in the dark and the fog; the weather was so bad that the Brighton game was cancelled, and the Reading game was called off after 50 minutes - I think the whole of the South of England was shrouded in fog and mist.
I did okay with the few bets I made last night, but hope to do better in the next couple of days. We finished watching Tyrant, which was thrilling - it is a shame it's not going to be picked up for a fourth series.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Saturday 16-12-31 I Skate Park & Star Wars
Thursday saw the girls wanting to go to the Skate Park to try out their new scooters. Unfortunately it was very wet and so the scooters kept slipping out from underneath them - TMO fell over several times and has a nice bruise on her thigh; she was certainly feeling that on the way home. It was a bit of a dreary day to be honest, weather-wise, and without their friends to play with, I don't think the skate park held the same appeal. They went over to the play park after a while, but what with the fog and the damp, the slides and swings were all wet and unusable really. We did bump into G & E who had their kids there, and it was good to see them; I think the last time I saw them was when we were camping.
We'll need to go back when it's a bit drier...
In the afternoon TW & the girls went to Chichester to see Peter Pan. I don't think it was quite a panto, but it was good, according to TW's post-match report. So I took the opportunity to go and see Rogue One, the new Star Wars film. It was brilliant, had all the elements I expected to see. And it was long... No spoilers, since it is quite new, but overall very enjoyable.
We'll need to go back when it's a bit drier...
In the afternoon TW & the girls went to Chichester to see Peter Pan. I don't think it was quite a panto, but it was good, according to TW's post-match report. So I took the opportunity to go and see Rogue One, the new Star Wars film. It was brilliant, had all the elements I expected to see. And it was long... No spoilers, since it is quite new, but overall very enjoyable.
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Thursday 16-12-29 Crepe n Cones
Yesterday we finally made it to the destination that all the kids in Worthing have been talking about recently; Crepe n Cones. This place is sugar heaven, and all the kids have either been there or want to go there.
We'd gone into town so that the girls could spend a bit of their Christmas money after a late lunch, and I was u to flag. TW suggested we try Crepe n Cones, and it was full, even at half past three - there was only one table available, and that hadn't been cleared since the previous occupants had left. We sat down and had a look at the menu.
There were two savory items; a cheesy croissant and a cheese-filled crêpe, but the rest was a hymn to sweetness. There were crepes, of course, ice creams, milk shakes, smoothies and jumbo waffles. Of course the girls chose jumbo waffles, covered with a variety of teeth-shattering sucrose; TY went for a chocolate concoction, TMO went for a peanut butter mix, and TE went for strawberries and cream. TY didn't finish hers, but apart from that they did well.
The desserts themselves were nice, but when you added in the drinks it was a touch on the expensive side, and we had to wait for half an hour or so. The girls are good at waiting, so that wasn't an issue, but the hit to the pocket means that it won't be a weekly treat.
Apart from that I think the girls were happy with their purchases. TE bought a pair of high-heeled boots and a pair of rugby boots, which TW & I both thought was a nice contrast. TMO bought a nice wraparound cardigan and TE bought a necklace which she could share with her friend, and some exercise clothing.
In the evening we took it easy and watched a bit more of Tyrant, which leaves us just the season finale to get through. I think though that TW is going out tonight, so we might need to leave that until tomorrow. We should finish it before the end of 2016 though, or at least, I hope so!
We'd gone into town so that the girls could spend a bit of their Christmas money after a late lunch, and I was u to flag. TW suggested we try Crepe n Cones, and it was full, even at half past three - there was only one table available, and that hadn't been cleared since the previous occupants had left. We sat down and had a look at the menu.
There were two savory items; a cheesy croissant and a cheese-filled crêpe, but the rest was a hymn to sweetness. There were crepes, of course, ice creams, milk shakes, smoothies and jumbo waffles. Of course the girls chose jumbo waffles, covered with a variety of teeth-shattering sucrose; TY went for a chocolate concoction, TMO went for a peanut butter mix, and TE went for strawberries and cream. TY didn't finish hers, but apart from that they did well.
The desserts themselves were nice, but when you added in the drinks it was a touch on the expensive side, and we had to wait for half an hour or so. The girls are good at waiting, so that wasn't an issue, but the hit to the pocket means that it won't be a weekly treat.
Apart from that I think the girls were happy with their purchases. TE bought a pair of high-heeled boots and a pair of rugby boots, which TW & I both thought was a nice contrast. TMO bought a nice wraparound cardigan and TE bought a necklace which she could share with her friend, and some exercise clothing.
In the evening we took it easy and watched a bit more of Tyrant, which leaves us just the season finale to get through. I think though that TW is going out tonight, so we might need to leave that until tomorrow. We should finish it before the end of 2016 though, or at least, I hope so!
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Wednesday 16-12-28 Runaway
Yesterday TMO ran away. We were round visiting friends and the girls kept on about having a sleepover. We were fairly clear that it wasn't going to happen but the kids were winding each other up and eventually TMO blew, shouted "I hate you all" and stormed out of the house on her scooter, not wearing much else. She had a t-shirt on but no jumper or coat. I thought that she would be hiding around the corner, but no luck. TW & I went in different directions looking for her, but she was long gone. It had just occurred to me to call M&P when my phone rang and it was Mum. "We've got your missing TMO here", she said, "she's very upset." I called TW and she went to collect her, and Mum had given her a hot chocolate.
To be fair, I think TMO scared herself with her actions, and when she met up with me she apologised very sheepishly. I wasn't too worried, to be honest, she's not silly, and I think she showed that by going to the only nearby place she knew. She will lose her rights to use electronic devices for the next few days; she'll have to learn that she can't behave like that ever again.
Up until that point (it was about seven pm) we'd had a lovely day with H&I, eating lasagne & sipping prosecco and champagne, and sampling raspberry vodka, as well as chatting about poor old George Michael and all the other recent celebrity deaths. Before we left, we heard the news that Carrie Fisher had died, which was a shame. I thought she may have got away with the heart attack, but it seems that Fate had other ideas...
To be fair, I think TMO scared herself with her actions, and when she met up with me she apologised very sheepishly. I wasn't too worried, to be honest, she's not silly, and I think she showed that by going to the only nearby place she knew. She will lose her rights to use electronic devices for the next few days; she'll have to learn that she can't behave like that ever again.
Up until that point (it was about seven pm) we'd had a lovely day with H&I, eating lasagne & sipping prosecco and champagne, and sampling raspberry vodka, as well as chatting about poor old George Michael and all the other recent celebrity deaths. Before we left, we heard the news that Carrie Fisher had died, which was a shame. I thought she may have got away with the heart attack, but it seems that Fate had other ideas...
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Tuesday 16-12-27 Christmas
Well, that was a busy few days, and it was even busier for TW. We had our annual Christmas Eve drinks, an open house where friends and family were invited to relax and start the festive celebrations, and we also had family staying over and more family visiting on Christmas Day. We went for a walk along the seafront on Boxing Day, yesterday, as a family group (13 of us) and then we had the parents back to ours for the afternoon and a cold supper of leftovers, before collapsing into bed at ten last night.
TW had it all planned; she had been feeling a little anxious about the whole thing. It's not straightforward to have an open house for about a hundred guests on the Saturday afternoon and then cook Christmas dinner for 14 on the Sunday. So she took the opportunity while she was babysitting the Friday before Christmas week to write a whole load of lists - what shopping needed to be bought, when the meat needed to be collected, what needed to be done around the house, and once she had those she felt much better. Unfortunately I had a cold so I wasn't much help in the couple of days before Christmas, but she got there, and it was very much all TW's doing. The open house went without a hitch and we headed off to Christingle, where I tickled TE during the hymns until she complained to TW that I was drunk and they swapped places.
I do love the Christingle service, and the energy involved. This year they tried to make sense of the story and relate it to the real world, so for instance they said that Mary at nine months pregnant wouldn't have ridden on a donkey but she may have been in a cart pulled by a donkey. They pulled away at the elements of the Nativity like peeling an onion, and they finished with the assertion that, however it happened, the one essential part of the story is that a child was born to a virgin. I turned to TW when I heard that, and pointed out that is the one part of the story which is scientifically disprovable. Then we sang some more hymns and came home for Christmas Eve.
We had TW's sister and family to stay for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so TW had spent most of the previous week blitzing the house into a new level of cleanliness. It certainly worked, it was lovely. M&P and the MiL stayed with us for dinner on Christmas Eve, and they went at about 9pm I think (...?). My cold was just easing off and the prosecco I had been drinking all day was drying it out as well. We headed to bed and looked forward to Christmas Day.
The childers woke us up at just after 05:30, and so we told them to go back to sleep. I didn't sleep, and so when they stirred again at 06:00, we let them get up. It was about 07:00 when they started opening their stockings because we had to wait for the cousins and S & A. TW was happy with her haul, and the girls were happy with their stuff. The cousins liked their presents, and then we had the first tidy-up of the day, getting rid of all the paper etc.
Breakfast consisted of bagels with salmon and cream cheese, followed by croissants with butter and apricot jam, and fresh orange juice and coffee. Then M&P arrived, while the MiL had set off to collect the GiL, who was also spending the day. It was a standard Christmas day, there was lots of presents opened and wine drunk, and laughter had. It was very enjoyable and very tiring. Unfortunately I didn't get to Skype with my sister, it would have been nice for the children to have wished each other a Merry Christmas but they'll catch up soon, I am sure.
The GiL went back to hers at about 18:00 I think, she did say that she wanted to stay but since we had all beds occupied, that would have been impractical, and she would have found it difficult to get up the stairs to the toilet unaided I think, so the choice was taken to ferry her home.
I was happy with my presents; I got a new hoodie, which I had seen online and liked the look of, and it didn't disappoint in real life. I also got Mainlander by Will Smith, Head Carrier by Pixies, and the obligatory pants and socks. TW and her sister did most of the prep in the kitchen and enjoyed a few Aperol spritzes, and all in all it was a very enjoyable day.
TW had it all planned; she had been feeling a little anxious about the whole thing. It's not straightforward to have an open house for about a hundred guests on the Saturday afternoon and then cook Christmas dinner for 14 on the Sunday. So she took the opportunity while she was babysitting the Friday before Christmas week to write a whole load of lists - what shopping needed to be bought, when the meat needed to be collected, what needed to be done around the house, and once she had those she felt much better. Unfortunately I had a cold so I wasn't much help in the couple of days before Christmas, but she got there, and it was very much all TW's doing. The open house went without a hitch and we headed off to Christingle, where I tickled TE during the hymns until she complained to TW that I was drunk and they swapped places.
I do love the Christingle service, and the energy involved. This year they tried to make sense of the story and relate it to the real world, so for instance they said that Mary at nine months pregnant wouldn't have ridden on a donkey but she may have been in a cart pulled by a donkey. They pulled away at the elements of the Nativity like peeling an onion, and they finished with the assertion that, however it happened, the one essential part of the story is that a child was born to a virgin. I turned to TW when I heard that, and pointed out that is the one part of the story which is scientifically disprovable. Then we sang some more hymns and came home for Christmas Eve.
We had TW's sister and family to stay for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so TW had spent most of the previous week blitzing the house into a new level of cleanliness. It certainly worked, it was lovely. M&P and the MiL stayed with us for dinner on Christmas Eve, and they went at about 9pm I think (...?). My cold was just easing off and the prosecco I had been drinking all day was drying it out as well. We headed to bed and looked forward to Christmas Day.
The childers woke us up at just after 05:30, and so we told them to go back to sleep. I didn't sleep, and so when they stirred again at 06:00, we let them get up. It was about 07:00 when they started opening their stockings because we had to wait for the cousins and S & A. TW was happy with her haul, and the girls were happy with their stuff. The cousins liked their presents, and then we had the first tidy-up of the day, getting rid of all the paper etc.
Breakfast consisted of bagels with salmon and cream cheese, followed by croissants with butter and apricot jam, and fresh orange juice and coffee. Then M&P arrived, while the MiL had set off to collect the GiL, who was also spending the day. It was a standard Christmas day, there was lots of presents opened and wine drunk, and laughter had. It was very enjoyable and very tiring. Unfortunately I didn't get to Skype with my sister, it would have been nice for the children to have wished each other a Merry Christmas but they'll catch up soon, I am sure.
The GiL went back to hers at about 18:00 I think, she did say that she wanted to stay but since we had all beds occupied, that would have been impractical, and she would have found it difficult to get up the stairs to the toilet unaided I think, so the choice was taken to ferry her home.
I was happy with my presents; I got a new hoodie, which I had seen online and liked the look of, and it didn't disappoint in real life. I also got Mainlander by Will Smith, Head Carrier by Pixies, and the obligatory pants and socks. TW and her sister did most of the prep in the kitchen and enjoyed a few Aperol spritzes, and all in all it was a very enjoyable day.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Wednesday 16-12-14 Comics
So I've finished reading Wolf, it was quite good, if a bit weird and supernatural. Just as I thought I was getting a grip on it, it would twist away from me. It was well-written though, it was like a detective story, where we were empathising with the detective. There were things we didn't know, and had to piece together. It was engaging, and the characterisation was interesting.
Now I've finished it though, so all nine issues are for sale on eBay here, until they are gone.
I've moved on now to Postal, which is supposed to be quite good, and I am liking the artwork and the slow reveal of what's going on. It must have been well-received, because it led to Eden's Fall, which I have yet to read...
Now I've finished it though, so all nine issues are for sale on eBay here, until they are gone.
I've moved on now to Postal, which is supposed to be quite good, and I am liking the artwork and the slow reveal of what's going on. It must have been well-received, because it led to Eden's Fall, which I have yet to read...
Saturday, December 03, 2016
Saturday 16-12-03 Radio
TW and I were lying in bed this morning, listening to a bit of Radio 4. That was my choice, I like to catch up with the day's agenda and news before getting on with it. I announced I was going to get up and TW asked me to turn it over. So I switched it to Radio 6Music. "What did you do that for?", she asked. I did it because she didn't specify which station to tune it to, and she was still lying in bed, while I was halfway downstairs. I know that her preferred station would have been Radio 1, but she didn't ask me to switch it to Radio 1, she simply asked me to turn it over. And besides, she was still in bed and within reach of the radio, so if she didn't like my choice in response to her unspecific request, she could always turn it to R1 herself...
Speaking of 6Music, they had a great piece of programming yesterday, in that they played music from 1989 all day. I wasn't really sure why, I think it linked in with Our Generation, the BBC4 strand of programming that's been going on for a while. They played some great tunes, and the stand-out ones for me were "Lions" by New FADs, "Hallelujah" by Happy Mondays, and "Fascination Street" by The Cure.There were loads of other songs which brought back memories, but I didn't hear any Stuffies or Cud, which would have probably made my week.
Speaking of 6Music, they had a great piece of programming yesterday, in that they played music from 1989 all day. I wasn't really sure why, I think it linked in with Our Generation, the BBC4 strand of programming that's been going on for a while. They played some great tunes, and the stand-out ones for me were "Lions" by New FADs, "Hallelujah" by Happy Mondays, and "Fascination Street" by The Cure.There were loads of other songs which brought back memories, but I didn't hear any Stuffies or Cud, which would have probably made my week.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Monday 16-11-28 UKIP
Changes afoot within UKIP then, as Paul Nuttall becomes leader of the party. Apparently he was branded a "bad Bootle UKIP meff" by his fellow Liverpudlians. I don't think he will have the same appeal as Farage did, I wonder what the odds are on Farage coming back? Farage holds no appeal to me, I think he is an oleaginous and egregious politician who is taking a shedload of money from the EU while not doing anything to earn it. He is fannying about in the UK and the US and not participating in EU business. If he were my representative at the EU Parliament, I'd be pissed off. I did hear him briefly on LBC yesterday and it does seem that his ego is boundless, he was saying something along the lines of he thought that he would be able to bring something to the role of U.S. ambassador, but it was up to others to decide.
That prat should and will never be ambassador to the U.S. He has too many flaws, he isn't a product of the civil service, and he isn't a Tory (although they sup from the same cup). Teresa May would be run out of office if she allowed that appointment. Similarly, Farage should not be given a peerage - virtually every assessment of Brexit concludes that there will be a cost to the UK, and the amount of extra work, if nothing else, that he has caused us all, should bar him from any recognition. He should be condemned to a lifetime of light entertainment shows, even (and especially) after it gets repetitive and he gets bored of it. Keep him away from anywhere he might be able to exert any influence, however slight.
If I'm ever in doubt on a political issue I look to see what Farage's approach is, and I take the opposite view. At least that way I know I'll be right.
I expect UKIP to disappear now, only half of their 30,000 members could be bothered to take part in the leadership vote, and I don't see why the rest of us should be bothered to listen to what they say.
That prat should and will never be ambassador to the U.S. He has too many flaws, he isn't a product of the civil service, and he isn't a Tory (although they sup from the same cup). Teresa May would be run out of office if she allowed that appointment. Similarly, Farage should not be given a peerage - virtually every assessment of Brexit concludes that there will be a cost to the UK, and the amount of extra work, if nothing else, that he has caused us all, should bar him from any recognition. He should be condemned to a lifetime of light entertainment shows, even (and especially) after it gets repetitive and he gets bored of it. Keep him away from anywhere he might be able to exert any influence, however slight.
If I'm ever in doubt on a political issue I look to see what Farage's approach is, and I take the opposite view. At least that way I know I'll be right.
I expect UKIP to disappear now, only half of their 30,000 members could be bothered to take part in the leadership vote, and I don't see why the rest of us should be bothered to listen to what they say.
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Saturday 16-11-26 Black Friday
So yesterday was Black Friday. We've not yet imported Thanksgiving into the UK, I don't think we're quite ready for a second turkey-based celebration. But we have imported the celebration of consumerism which is Black Friday, it's kind of Thanksgiving's boxing day. Normally Amazon and Asda use the occasion to sell off their ageing inventories at knockdown prices and try to make it look like they are doing us a favour.
Having said that, a couple of years ago I did buy an Acer Aspire E-15 for a knockdown price off the Tesco website, and to be honest I still don't think I've seen it as cheap, even the newer models.
Yesterday and for the previous few days Amazon have been advertising the Amazon Fire tablet for £29.99 instead of £49.99, which is actually quite a good deal, as far as I can see. £30 for a new and current tablet is very enticing, and it's probably less than I would spend on a big night out. But I managed to restrain myself, and I kept my wallet closed.
I did have a moment of weakness though, and I did buy a tablet. I was browsing eBay and found a tablet which was being sold for spares or repair, and the highest bid was £5. I put in a bid of £7.25, and watched the clock tick down. No-one outbid me, and so it was mine. With the £3p&p, I spent a total of £10.25. I'm kind of hoping that I will be able to repair / reset it, and then I will be able to re-sell it, either on eBay or maybe to CEX or something. Or it can join the hordes of tablets we already own - although I have been trying to rationalise.
I am looking forward to taking delivery of it, and seeing what I can do with it. There may be a further update in the next week or so. Until next time, have a good weekend!
TTFN.
Having said that, a couple of years ago I did buy an Acer Aspire E-15 for a knockdown price off the Tesco website, and to be honest I still don't think I've seen it as cheap, even the newer models.
Yesterday and for the previous few days Amazon have been advertising the Amazon Fire tablet for £29.99 instead of £49.99, which is actually quite a good deal, as far as I can see. £30 for a new and current tablet is very enticing, and it's probably less than I would spend on a big night out. But I managed to restrain myself, and I kept my wallet closed.
I did have a moment of weakness though, and I did buy a tablet. I was browsing eBay and found a tablet which was being sold for spares or repair, and the highest bid was £5. I put in a bid of £7.25, and watched the clock tick down. No-one outbid me, and so it was mine. With the £3p&p, I spent a total of £10.25. I'm kind of hoping that I will be able to repair / reset it, and then I will be able to re-sell it, either on eBay or maybe to CEX or something. Or it can join the hordes of tablets we already own - although I have been trying to rationalise.
I am looking forward to taking delivery of it, and seeing what I can do with it. There may be a further update in the next week or so. Until next time, have a good weekend!
TTFN.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Saturday 16-11-12 Trump
I suppose he deserves a mention. It's not every day that the U.S. gets a new president, and it's certainly not every day that the pollsters get it so wrong. But this is subsequent to Brexit, where the pollsters were also wrong, and you would think that they might be careful about their prognostications.
A couple of weeks ago, the polls were very close, and our old friends PaddyPower were offering odds on Trump of 5-2. I thought at the time that the odds didn't reflect the close nature of the election, and so I wagered an almighty 40p on a victory for the Trumpster. As we got closer to the polling date, I did think that I wouldn't see that 40p again, since all the indications were that Hillary was going to win.
I had been out on the Tuesday night, seeing Such Small Hands again, and I got home having had a few beers, and I picked up a couple more on the way home. So you might say I was well-lubricated. I went to bed after the votes started coming in, so I guess that was about midnight or shortly after; Trump was already 26 electoral votes to 3. Then I woke up at about 3 in the morning, and checked my phone - Trump was still in the lead. PP were offering me 80p to cash out; I could have doubled my original stake and stopped worrying and gone back to sleep. TW roused, and she suggested I could put the radio on, so of course I did. There were some big states still to declare, and it wasn't all cut and dried. But as time went on, the amount PP were offering to cash out kept increasing. By 4:30 it was up to over a pound. I do realise that is small beer to most people, but it's not about winning big for me; it's about seeing if I was right. Anyway, remember that I'd had a beer or two and not gone to bed until after midnight? Being awake from 3am to 5am didn't help me rest, especially with such earth-shattering events going on. So Wednesday at work was a bit of a struggle. But there were others who were in the same boat, so I didn't feel as bad as I should have done.
I reckon that the Americans have the gap between the election and the actual swapping of the Presidential Office to mitigate any shock or surprise at the outcome of the election. There are currently demonstrations going on in the U.S. against Trump, but I think that his wilder suggestions will be kicked into the long grass by Congress and the Senate. He is already suggesting that he won't totally dismantle Obamacare, which was one of the cornerstones of his election campaign, and it is my guess that as time goes on, more of those pre-election promises will go by the wayside.
The electorate here in the UK and over there in the U.S. are becoming disillusioned with the political class, and it is showing. I think that in future politicians will need to do things differently, in order to ensure that the electorate are kept satisfied. There are elections in Germany and France next year, and it wouldn't be surprising if those threw up some unexpected results.
In the end, my bet of 40p at 5/2 returned me £1.40, which was much-needed because my sports betting had been woeful. I also won on Brexit, although that was a bit more impressive - £2 at 7/4 returned £5.50. The MiL had a fiver on the same and took home £15, which was nice. So overall I've bet £2.40 on political events and won £6.90.
I don't think Trump will be the nightmare that some people are fearing, but I wouldn't have voted for him. I think his agenda will be mostly domestic, so we might not hear from the U.S. again until 2021. And if that is the worst outcome, I think that is one that I can live with.
A couple of weeks ago, the polls were very close, and our old friends PaddyPower were offering odds on Trump of 5-2. I thought at the time that the odds didn't reflect the close nature of the election, and so I wagered an almighty 40p on a victory for the Trumpster. As we got closer to the polling date, I did think that I wouldn't see that 40p again, since all the indications were that Hillary was going to win.
I had been out on the Tuesday night, seeing Such Small Hands again, and I got home having had a few beers, and I picked up a couple more on the way home. So you might say I was well-lubricated. I went to bed after the votes started coming in, so I guess that was about midnight or shortly after; Trump was already 26 electoral votes to 3. Then I woke up at about 3 in the morning, and checked my phone - Trump was still in the lead. PP were offering me 80p to cash out; I could have doubled my original stake and stopped worrying and gone back to sleep. TW roused, and she suggested I could put the radio on, so of course I did. There were some big states still to declare, and it wasn't all cut and dried. But as time went on, the amount PP were offering to cash out kept increasing. By 4:30 it was up to over a pound. I do realise that is small beer to most people, but it's not about winning big for me; it's about seeing if I was right. Anyway, remember that I'd had a beer or two and not gone to bed until after midnight? Being awake from 3am to 5am didn't help me rest, especially with such earth-shattering events going on. So Wednesday at work was a bit of a struggle. But there were others who were in the same boat, so I didn't feel as bad as I should have done.
I reckon that the Americans have the gap between the election and the actual swapping of the Presidential Office to mitigate any shock or surprise at the outcome of the election. There are currently demonstrations going on in the U.S. against Trump, but I think that his wilder suggestions will be kicked into the long grass by Congress and the Senate. He is already suggesting that he won't totally dismantle Obamacare, which was one of the cornerstones of his election campaign, and it is my guess that as time goes on, more of those pre-election promises will go by the wayside.
The electorate here in the UK and over there in the U.S. are becoming disillusioned with the political class, and it is showing. I think that in future politicians will need to do things differently, in order to ensure that the electorate are kept satisfied. There are elections in Germany and France next year, and it wouldn't be surprising if those threw up some unexpected results.
In the end, my bet of 40p at 5/2 returned me £1.40, which was much-needed because my sports betting had been woeful. I also won on Brexit, although that was a bit more impressive - £2 at 7/4 returned £5.50. The MiL had a fiver on the same and took home £15, which was nice. So overall I've bet £2.40 on political events and won £6.90.
I don't think Trump will be the nightmare that some people are fearing, but I wouldn't have voted for him. I think his agenda will be mostly domestic, so we might not hear from the U.S. again until 2021. And if that is the worst outcome, I think that is one that I can live with.
Sunday, November 06, 2016
Sunday 16-11-06 Brexit Again
Brexit hasn't exactly been keeping me awake at night, but it has been keeping me entertained during the day. I find it hard to understand why people are so exercised (is that the right phrase?) about this issue - until the referendum, it wasn't a thing.
Now, there are threats of rioting in the streets if Parliament doesn't carry out the will of the people. And up until last Thursday, Parliament wasn't even going to get a say on things. But then some expert judges decided that if the invoking of Article 50 was to have any authority, it needed to be voted on by Parliament in its totality and not just Government.
Lots of people are hoping now that MPs will vote against Brexit, and certainly the members of the House of Lords may vote in majority against it, but actually my suspicion is that the vote for Brexit will pass with little (if any) controversy. The MPs in the Commons will state that they are carrying out "the will of the people", and if the Lords rebel, they will ping-pong until the Government invoke the supremacy of the Commons and the vote will pass.
I didn't comprehend that for a while, but I guess that the MPs are taking a macro view and they have seen that 52% of the nation who voted, voted for Brexit. So that is the decision that they must implement. However, if I were an individual MP, I would look at the breakdown of the voting in my constituency, and I would weigh up whether I should vote for or against Brexit. After all, come 2020 (if there is no General Election before then), other local factors may be more "top-of-mind" than Brexit. And that is why I have to poo-poo the idea that there will be rioting in the streets.
In my mind, I think (and I may have said this before, so excuse me if I have) that Andrew Marr had it right when he said that it won't be as bad as people fear, and it won't be as great as people hope. If anything does lead to rioting in the streets, I think that the cause of that can be squarely laid at the feet of David Cameron. Before he offered the referendum on membership of the EU, it was seen as a niche issue, debated by hardcore politicos - at least, that is my take on it. Now it's led to family splits and fallings-out between friends. And all because Cameron was trying to outflank UKIP and keep his own backbench MPs happy.
I quite enjoy listening to Redwood and Rees-Mogg, probably more than the next man, but after the interview ends and I have analysed what they said, it is at that point that I dismiss their ideas as "barking". I'm a bit slow on the uptake, still even after all this time, but at least I still maintain an open mind, and I would like that marked in my favour.
I still sincerely believe that we will get to the end of this process of Brexit and look back on it, and look at each other with puzzled expressions on our faces and we will say to each other, "was that it? Is that we've worried and sweated and argued about for the last two years? For this?" There is a reason it has been a niche discussion, and that is because, on the whole, we can get through our days without having to resort to the ECHR or European directives. On the whole the directives issued by the EU are common sense and practical, and it is the interpretation of those directives ("better safe than sorry") which cause the issue (e.g., recycling teabags). I do not believe that there will be an immediate and apparent change to daily life in the UK; after all, we have spent the last 40 years aligning with the EU over laws and regulations. Any divergence will be gradual and unnoticeable, until all of a sudden, certain things become incompatible. But if we made a point of shadowing the EU parliament, and implementing the changes they made which we agreed with, we would still be more closely aligned with their view on things than differing.
But as I have opined, I think, at the end of it, it won't amount to a hill of beans. The ride to get there might be exciting though.
TTFN.
Now, there are threats of rioting in the streets if Parliament doesn't carry out the will of the people. And up until last Thursday, Parliament wasn't even going to get a say on things. But then some expert judges decided that if the invoking of Article 50 was to have any authority, it needed to be voted on by Parliament in its totality and not just Government.
Lots of people are hoping now that MPs will vote against Brexit, and certainly the members of the House of Lords may vote in majority against it, but actually my suspicion is that the vote for Brexit will pass with little (if any) controversy. The MPs in the Commons will state that they are carrying out "the will of the people", and if the Lords rebel, they will ping-pong until the Government invoke the supremacy of the Commons and the vote will pass.
I didn't comprehend that for a while, but I guess that the MPs are taking a macro view and they have seen that 52% of the nation who voted, voted for Brexit. So that is the decision that they must implement. However, if I were an individual MP, I would look at the breakdown of the voting in my constituency, and I would weigh up whether I should vote for or against Brexit. After all, come 2020 (if there is no General Election before then), other local factors may be more "top-of-mind" than Brexit. And that is why I have to poo-poo the idea that there will be rioting in the streets.
In my mind, I think (and I may have said this before, so excuse me if I have) that Andrew Marr had it right when he said that it won't be as bad as people fear, and it won't be as great as people hope. If anything does lead to rioting in the streets, I think that the cause of that can be squarely laid at the feet of David Cameron. Before he offered the referendum on membership of the EU, it was seen as a niche issue, debated by hardcore politicos - at least, that is my take on it. Now it's led to family splits and fallings-out between friends. And all because Cameron was trying to outflank UKIP and keep his own backbench MPs happy.
I quite enjoy listening to Redwood and Rees-Mogg, probably more than the next man, but after the interview ends and I have analysed what they said, it is at that point that I dismiss their ideas as "barking". I'm a bit slow on the uptake, still even after all this time, but at least I still maintain an open mind, and I would like that marked in my favour.
I still sincerely believe that we will get to the end of this process of Brexit and look back on it, and look at each other with puzzled expressions on our faces and we will say to each other, "was that it? Is that we've worried and sweated and argued about for the last two years? For this?" There is a reason it has been a niche discussion, and that is because, on the whole, we can get through our days without having to resort to the ECHR or European directives. On the whole the directives issued by the EU are common sense and practical, and it is the interpretation of those directives ("better safe than sorry") which cause the issue (e.g., recycling teabags). I do not believe that there will be an immediate and apparent change to daily life in the UK; after all, we have spent the last 40 years aligning with the EU over laws and regulations. Any divergence will be gradual and unnoticeable, until all of a sudden, certain things become incompatible. But if we made a point of shadowing the EU parliament, and implementing the changes they made which we agreed with, we would still be more closely aligned with their view on things than differing.
But as I have opined, I think, at the end of it, it won't amount to a hill of beans. The ride to get there might be exciting though.
TTFN.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Friday 16-10-28 Farewell then, Oneplus One
Last Wednesday I dropped and smashed my phone, my Oneplus One. I'd had it for over two years, so I think I got enough usage out of it. I was walking briskly to get up to the Station to catch a train, while at the same time trying to insert my headphones into the headphone jack, when suddenly my phone wasn't in my hand any more, but was face down on the pavement. So despite being in a case, that didn't prevent damage to the screen and the digitizer.
I was in a hurry because the RMT were striking, and the trains were less frequent than normal. Southern were able to run about 60% of their trains, so I wasn't worried about getting home, I just wanted to be on a relatively uncrowded train. So I blame Southern and the RMT for my loss.
I bought the phone outright in August 2014 and it's been the best phone I've ever had, unsurprisingly. It had a 5.5" screen and an 801 processor, as well as 64gb of storage. I kept it updated with CyanogenMod nightlies, which satisfied my need to be as up to date as possible, and it was running Marshmallow when the screen broke. I had been running CM on my HTC One X before I bought it, so the idea of buying a phone running Cyanogen out of the box was very appealing.
I was in a bit of a quandary after I dropped it, as it seems to be okay apart from the screen. So if I could get that repaired at a reasonable price, I could have carried on with it for another year I reckon. But Oneplus themselves quoted me between 80 - 100 Euros and firms up in London would have charged £99. Then there was the worry about not knowing whether those firms were reputable and if I sent it back to China for repair, how long would that take? So I bought a replacement, a Huawei P9 Lite for £199 (with a £10 SIM) from O2. They did have a Oneplus Three in stock, and I was tempted to buy that, but the price difference (the OP3 was £336) was too great.
The P9 Lite is a smart little phone, it has a 5.2" screen and only 16gb of onboard memory, which is expandable with a micro SD card. I did buy an SD card but unfortunately it wasn't "micro" - d'oh! Never mind, though, that can sit in the chromebook. I'll know next time to make sure I buy the right sized memory card. I'm very impressed by the camera on the P9, the pictures don't pixellate when you zoom in on pics you've taken, which is nice. And it's got a fingerprint sensor, which I've become used to very quickly. The two things which are missing that I wanted in my next phone are fast charge and a USB-C connector. But I think I will be able to live without.
So the OPO is now sitting on eBay. Currently there is a bid of £36.02 on it but there are 12 watchers so I am hoping it will go for a bit more than that. If someone is able to get a screen / digitizer repair kit, and they have the patience and skill to replace the screen themselves, then they should be able to get themselves a powerful phone for about £100; they'll be happy and I'll make a bit and be happy too - that'll help pay for the P9 :-) .
TTFN.
I bought the phone outright in August 2014 and it's been the best phone I've ever had, unsurprisingly. It had a 5.5" screen and an 801 processor, as well as 64gb of storage. I kept it updated with CyanogenMod nightlies, which satisfied my need to be as up to date as possible, and it was running Marshmallow when the screen broke. I had been running CM on my HTC One X before I bought it, so the idea of buying a phone running Cyanogen out of the box was very appealing.
I was in a bit of a quandary after I dropped it, as it seems to be okay apart from the screen. So if I could get that repaired at a reasonable price, I could have carried on with it for another year I reckon. But Oneplus themselves quoted me between 80 - 100 Euros and firms up in London would have charged £99. Then there was the worry about not knowing whether those firms were reputable and if I sent it back to China for repair, how long would that take? So I bought a replacement, a Huawei P9 Lite for £199 (with a £10 SIM) from O2. They did have a Oneplus Three in stock, and I was tempted to buy that, but the price difference (the OP3 was £336) was too great.
The P9 Lite is a smart little phone, it has a 5.2" screen and only 16gb of onboard memory, which is expandable with a micro SD card. I did buy an SD card but unfortunately it wasn't "micro" - d'oh! Never mind, though, that can sit in the chromebook. I'll know next time to make sure I buy the right sized memory card. I'm very impressed by the camera on the P9, the pictures don't pixellate when you zoom in on pics you've taken, which is nice. And it's got a fingerprint sensor, which I've become used to very quickly. The two things which are missing that I wanted in my next phone are fast charge and a USB-C connector. But I think I will be able to live without.
So the OPO is now sitting on eBay. Currently there is a bid of £36.02 on it but there are 12 watchers so I am hoping it will go for a bit more than that. If someone is able to get a screen / digitizer repair kit, and they have the patience and skill to replace the screen themselves, then they should be able to get themselves a powerful phone for about £100; they'll be happy and I'll make a bit and be happy too - that'll help pay for the P9 :-) .
TTFN.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Wednesday 16-10-26 Paddy II
Last night I placed a number of bets on a few football games. I didn't think I did that well, but looking at my account, I did okay. With PaddyPower the minimum withdrawal amount is £10, I think, and my aim is to stay above that, or reach that, so that I can take my cash out when I want.
Currently I am floating slightly below that, I'm above £9 but not quite at the £10 mark. So I chose a few (what looked to be) low risk wagers last night to try and boost my pot.
The first bet of the night was on Motherwell U20s to win against Ross County U20s. I know, I didn't realise you could bet on the Scottish Under 20 league either. Motherwell were favourite to win at 11/10, but there was no score for ages. Then there was an own goal at 60 mins by Ross County, and Motherwell went ahead. The cash out value had jumped to 15p, so I took it and that was the first win of the night. It was a good choice, because Ross County scored again, but at the right end, and the match ended 1-1.
I also bet on Aswan FC to beat El Entag El Harby, at 21/10. Aswan went ahead after 28 minutes and again I cashed out to take 18p on a 10p bet. Again, that was lucky because thanks to a penalty in the last few minutes of the game it ended in a draw. I feel an affinity with Egyptian football because I did live in Cairo for several months back when I was 20.
Trapani (Italy Serie B) were good to me, but Deportivo Espanol (Argentinian Primera B Metro) weren't. Altrincham (English National League North) unfortunately lost against Bradford Park Avenue but Hitchin Town (English Souther Premier League) won away to King's Lynn, netting me 27p.
The bet I am proudest of though is backing Leeds against Norwich, in the English Football League Cup. I put 15p on Leeds to progress to the next round, at evens. Norwich went ahead but Leeds fought back and the game ended in a draw. Then in extra time each team scored again, meaning that the game went to penalties. Leeds finally triumphed, and I had an extra 15p, in addition to my original stake of 15p.
Overall I placed nine bets worth £1.03 and my returns were £1.18. I know it's small potatoes to most people, but it keeps me interested.
Upcoming bets are: Man City to progress to the next round in the EFL Cup against Man Utd (evens), especially after how badly Man U performed against Chelsea last Saturday, and England to win the seccond test against Bangladesh (4/5), which starts on Friday. I have also, for some inexplicable reason, put some money on InterMilan to beat Torino this evening at odds of 10/11. If those all come in then I shall be at £9.86, and close to that £10 target...
Currently I am floating slightly below that, I'm above £9 but not quite at the £10 mark. So I chose a few (what looked to be) low risk wagers last night to try and boost my pot.
The first bet of the night was on Motherwell U20s to win against Ross County U20s. I know, I didn't realise you could bet on the Scottish Under 20 league either. Motherwell were favourite to win at 11/10, but there was no score for ages. Then there was an own goal at 60 mins by Ross County, and Motherwell went ahead. The cash out value had jumped to 15p, so I took it and that was the first win of the night. It was a good choice, because Ross County scored again, but at the right end, and the match ended 1-1.
I also bet on Aswan FC to beat El Entag El Harby, at 21/10. Aswan went ahead after 28 minutes and again I cashed out to take 18p on a 10p bet. Again, that was lucky because thanks to a penalty in the last few minutes of the game it ended in a draw. I feel an affinity with Egyptian football because I did live in Cairo for several months back when I was 20.
Trapani (Italy Serie B) were good to me, but Deportivo Espanol (Argentinian Primera B Metro) weren't. Altrincham (English National League North) unfortunately lost against Bradford Park Avenue but Hitchin Town (English Souther Premier League) won away to King's Lynn, netting me 27p.
The bet I am proudest of though is backing Leeds against Norwich, in the English Football League Cup. I put 15p on Leeds to progress to the next round, at evens. Norwich went ahead but Leeds fought back and the game ended in a draw. Then in extra time each team scored again, meaning that the game went to penalties. Leeds finally triumphed, and I had an extra 15p, in addition to my original stake of 15p.
Overall I placed nine bets worth £1.03 and my returns were £1.18. I know it's small potatoes to most people, but it keeps me interested.
Upcoming bets are: Man City to progress to the next round in the EFL Cup against Man Utd (evens), especially after how badly Man U performed against Chelsea last Saturday, and England to win the seccond test against Bangladesh (4/5), which starts on Friday. I have also, for some inexplicable reason, put some money on InterMilan to beat Torino this evening at odds of 10/11. If those all come in then I shall be at £9.86, and close to that £10 target...
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Sunday 16-10-23 Paddy I
Paddypower was good to me today. I had placed three bets across three football games, and two of the three came in. To be honest, I had forgotten all about the first game, St. Johnstone vs Dundee. I checked the website to see that my bet had come in at 5/6 odds on. Well, it was a relief that I hadn't missed the opportunity to cash out while St. Johnstone were ahead, and then lose at the end. It seems that St. Johnstone went ahead after 60 minutes and stayed there.
My next bet was on Man City against Southampton, and Man City were playing at home, so I thought that they would have home advantage. Alas, it was not to be. It was a toss-up, being frank, whether to bet on City or Southampton, and Southampton scored first. If I had bet on Southampton I guess I would have cashed out then, the odds were much better. Man City apparently equalised, and were very much more attacking in the second half, but they never went ahead, and the game ended in a draw. Unfortunately I shan't see that 10p again.
Lastly I considered the Chelsea vs Man United game. Again, I thought that Chelsea might benefit from home advantage. I was right, as it turned out, because Chelsea scored in the first minute. I was a bit concerned - should I cash out? What happens if Man U equalise and they just sit on the ball for the rest of the game? - but then Chelsea went two ahead, and I was able to relax. Eventually they went 3-0 up, and then 4-0. Paddypower actually paid out at about 78 minutes, which I was surprised to see, but it would have been a miracle for Man Utd to score five goals in the final fifteen minutes.
So from my initial outlay of 30p, I am now up 41p, a net gain of 11p. I haven't yet got back to my initial stake of £10.00, but I hope with some more judicious gambling, I can get back above that threshold. Of course, it will be completely due to luck and not judgement, we shall have to see how it goes.
My next bet was on Man City against Southampton, and Man City were playing at home, so I thought that they would have home advantage. Alas, it was not to be. It was a toss-up, being frank, whether to bet on City or Southampton, and Southampton scored first. If I had bet on Southampton I guess I would have cashed out then, the odds were much better. Man City apparently equalised, and were very much more attacking in the second half, but they never went ahead, and the game ended in a draw. Unfortunately I shan't see that 10p again.
Lastly I considered the Chelsea vs Man United game. Again, I thought that Chelsea might benefit from home advantage. I was right, as it turned out, because Chelsea scored in the first minute. I was a bit concerned - should I cash out? What happens if Man U equalise and they just sit on the ball for the rest of the game? - but then Chelsea went two ahead, and I was able to relax. Eventually they went 3-0 up, and then 4-0. Paddypower actually paid out at about 78 minutes, which I was surprised to see, but it would have been a miracle for Man Utd to score five goals in the final fifteen minutes.
So from my initial outlay of 30p, I am now up 41p, a net gain of 11p. I haven't yet got back to my initial stake of £10.00, but I hope with some more judicious gambling, I can get back above that threshold. Of course, it will be completely due to luck and not judgement, we shall have to see how it goes.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Tuesday 16-10-18 Active
It's been a busy few days. On Friday we had a team-build event at the Martlets Hospice Shop, where we sorted toys and clothes to sell in their shops. It was nice to get out of the office and do something different for a change. And of course, after we finished up, we went to the pub (The George Payne) for a few pints and a rest. It was tiring doing something physically different, even though it wasn't demanding, but it was a change from sitting in a chair for seven hours. I wasn't intending to drink much, as we were planning to go to the Park Run again on Saturday morning, but I ended up having about four pints, before heading home. What can I say? The Timmy Taylor Landlord was a nice drop to savour.
Despite feeling hungover we did the Park Run on Saturday morning; TW and TE both got PBs, but I stopped because TY was crying, because she couldn't do it. So I walked with her for a bit and came in at about 31 and a half minutes. I probably wasn't going to go sub-30 anyway, and I figured the mental well-being of my child was more important than a timed run.
After that we came home, and TW & I showered. In the afternoon we went to see H&I's new trailer tent, which was very impressive. It started to rain, so we helped to take it down and it was pretty quick to pack away. They offered to have all three of the kids for a sleepover, which was very nice of them, so we ended up having another child-free night.
We were planning to go and see Rob Beckett at the Connaught anyway, so the fact that the kids were having a sleepover meant that we could relax and take our time getting ready, and we didn't feel that we had to rush back after the gig. We ended up in the Corner House again, which was nice, sharing a bottle of wine. Rob was very funny, as expected, and his support, Tom Lucy, was very good too. TW & I laughed a lot, both during and after the gig.
On Sunday TW picked up the girls, and we (the girls and I) baked while TW painted TY's room. I made my coffee and walnut cake - again - and the butter icing curdled - again. I didn't actually get to taste any of it as it was for TW's open house on the Monday. TY made gingerbread men, TE made a very nice rocky road, and TMO made some very crisp flapjacks. It was quite a busy day in the end. I was glad to get to bed by the end of the day :) .
Despite feeling hungover we did the Park Run on Saturday morning; TW and TE both got PBs, but I stopped because TY was crying, because she couldn't do it. So I walked with her for a bit and came in at about 31 and a half minutes. I probably wasn't going to go sub-30 anyway, and I figured the mental well-being of my child was more important than a timed run.
After that we came home, and TW & I showered. In the afternoon we went to see H&I's new trailer tent, which was very impressive. It started to rain, so we helped to take it down and it was pretty quick to pack away. They offered to have all three of the kids for a sleepover, which was very nice of them, so we ended up having another child-free night.
We were planning to go and see Rob Beckett at the Connaught anyway, so the fact that the kids were having a sleepover meant that we could relax and take our time getting ready, and we didn't feel that we had to rush back after the gig. We ended up in the Corner House again, which was nice, sharing a bottle of wine. Rob was very funny, as expected, and his support, Tom Lucy, was very good too. TW & I laughed a lot, both during and after the gig.
On Sunday TW picked up the girls, and we (the girls and I) baked while TW painted TY's room. I made my coffee and walnut cake - again - and the butter icing curdled - again. I didn't actually get to taste any of it as it was for TW's open house on the Monday. TY made gingerbread men, TE made a very nice rocky road, and TMO made some very crisp flapjacks. It was quite a busy day in the end. I was glad to get to bed by the end of the day :) .
Tuesday, October 04, 2016
Tuesday 16-10-04 Pixel
Here it is then, the Google Pixel phone. It looks quite nice, but it does look like an iPhone in my humble opinion.
I watched the presentation live on the way home, and I was very impressed with the Assistant feature. It seemed very intuitive, but I am wondering the extent to which it can be replicated using Google Now on existing phones. I expect that there would be certain capabilities that could not be reproduced elsewhere, but if it is only a matter of degree, then the question has to be: is it worth it?
The camera certainly looks to be something special, and perhaps that would be the feature that might prompt people to buy it. Apparently the camera achieved the highest score by any smartphone ever, according to the DxOMark system.
I like the white version, and if this had been priced similarly to the Nexus 4 or the 5X, I would have been on it like a car bonnet. My OnePlus One is two years old now and I am looking for a replacement. It is still a good phone, but if I am using it in the evening I do have to recharge the battery. I expect I will update it to Nougat shortly; the Marshmallow nightly updates seem to be thinning out. That may give the battery a boost, since Nougat Doze is supposed to be better. We'll see, I guess. I think I spent about £280 on the OPO, and I would be willing to spend up to £330 on a new off-contract phone. The OnePlus Three is looking as though it fits the bill nicely; I need to seriously think about it. I also have to pay back the Bank of Mum and Dad for the car loan that they recently extended to us, and I am thinking about getting a second car just to get me in and out of work. So I don't have money to burn on a new phone.
I certainly don't have £600 to spend on a phone with a 5" screen and 32gb of memory, even if that screen is Amoled, and it comes with a fingerprint sensor. The family laptop, which is a 15" job with an i3 processor was less than £250, so unfortunately there is no way I can justify spending £600. And if I were to buy the version I actually wanted, that would be the 5.5" screen with 128gb of memory which would set me back £819. Even the offer of a £50 Play Store voucher wouldn't ease the pain of that hitting my bank balance.
So, I guess I won't be at the cutting edge of Google tech this year. The gizmos and widgets that I do have are enough for me, really, and it's always nice to have something to aim for, somewhere down the line. So if you do see me carrying around a white Pixel XL, and there hasn't been a massive price drop, it'll be more than likely that I've won the lottery or come into an inheritance.
I watched the presentation live on the way home, and I was very impressed with the Assistant feature. It seemed very intuitive, but I am wondering the extent to which it can be replicated using Google Now on existing phones. I expect that there would be certain capabilities that could not be reproduced elsewhere, but if it is only a matter of degree, then the question has to be: is it worth it?
The camera certainly looks to be something special, and perhaps that would be the feature that might prompt people to buy it. Apparently the camera achieved the highest score by any smartphone ever, according to the DxOMark system.
I like the white version, and if this had been priced similarly to the Nexus 4 or the 5X, I would have been on it like a car bonnet. My OnePlus One is two years old now and I am looking for a replacement. It is still a good phone, but if I am using it in the evening I do have to recharge the battery. I expect I will update it to Nougat shortly; the Marshmallow nightly updates seem to be thinning out. That may give the battery a boost, since Nougat Doze is supposed to be better. We'll see, I guess. I think I spent about £280 on the OPO, and I would be willing to spend up to £330 on a new off-contract phone. The OnePlus Three is looking as though it fits the bill nicely; I need to seriously think about it. I also have to pay back the Bank of Mum and Dad for the car loan that they recently extended to us, and I am thinking about getting a second car just to get me in and out of work. So I don't have money to burn on a new phone.
I certainly don't have £600 to spend on a phone with a 5" screen and 32gb of memory, even if that screen is Amoled, and it comes with a fingerprint sensor. The family laptop, which is a 15" job with an i3 processor was less than £250, so unfortunately there is no way I can justify spending £600. And if I were to buy the version I actually wanted, that would be the 5.5" screen with 128gb of memory which would set me back £819. Even the offer of a £50 Play Store voucher wouldn't ease the pain of that hitting my bank balance.
So, I guess I won't be at the cutting edge of Google tech this year. The gizmos and widgets that I do have are enough for me, really, and it's always nice to have something to aim for, somewhere down the line. So if you do see me carrying around a white Pixel XL, and there hasn't been a massive price drop, it'll be more than likely that I've won the lottery or come into an inheritance.
Monday, October 03, 2016
Sunday 16-10-02 Snowdogs
Yesterday was spent wandering around Brighton, spotting the Snowdogs scattered around the town. It was a brilliant sunny day, it couldn't have been much more different from Saturday if it tried. The girls were in good spirits, they were chatting with each other and pointing out various things to each other. They did bicker a bit, but once we got into the walking they got on well with each other.
We stopped at Hove Lagoon to see the first one, but couldn't find it. Apparently it was in the café, but we weren't to know that... We didn't find the one at the King Alfred's Leisure Centre either, but after that we started flying. You can see the photos below.
We walked from the i360 up to Churchill Square, and then on to the train station. From there we cut down through The Lanes back to the seafront, then we drove to The Level where the kids played in the skatepark for an hour. Then it was on to The Marina, where we saw another couple, and we had dinner at Pizza Express, which was lovely. M & D, our friends (and neighbours), did the same thing, and our paths crossed several times during the day. We had planned to have dinner together anyway, but we were at The Level together too. Our children get on really well, and so they loved the day.
And I made it home in time to see Antiques Roadshow too, which was nice.
Saturday 16-10-01 Soaked
We did another Park Run, despite the rain. It wasn't supposed to rain between 9am - 10am, but apparently the forecast was wrong. And it was torrential. Some of the runners were squealing because the rain was coming down so hard. It was bouncing up off the tarmac to knee-height, it was coming down so hard. At one point, and then for the remainder of the race, I felt like I was running in a corset because my top had absorbed so much rainwater. I did think at one point I would be better off taking it off and dumping it in the hedge, and recovering it after the run (but I didn't do that). Nevertheless, I was only 45 secs slower than my time last week. I'm quite happy to have run through the deluge, and I am happy that the deluge didn't slow me down - noticeably. I did predict that PBs would tumble, and I was wrong, but there is always next Saturday morning.
I spent a long time moving and alphabetising my CDs, so they are now arranged nicely in the living room. I realised that I have a couple of CDs missing, and I also have a couple of duplicates, most notably Circlesquare by The Wonder Stuff and Comforts of Madness by Pale Saints - they will probably go on eBay.
I think I will have to prune my collection; they should fit into two of these units. I will digitise as much of it as I can (I've digitised a lot of it already, but I find it hard to let go of the physical discs) and there are some CDs that I've never listened to, so I can probably get rid of those without too much of a problem. I do find though, that when I get rid of CDs I always want to listen to them the following day/week/month, even if I haven't listened to them in years. So I don't want to sell or bin discs completely so that I don't have them at all, but it would be nice if they were stored tidily across the two units.
In the afternoon we went to see the GiL, who seemed to be in good spirits. She had been out to The Spotted Cow for lunch, as is her habit most days. For a 97-year old, she is doing well. I think she could do better if she accepted help, but that's not in her nature. Her short-term memory is shot; she kept asking if she'd given the girls money, and she asked me several times how my job was going: "any sign of promotion, Rob?" We'd bought her a few bites to eat, some pork pies and a quiche, and some biscuits. And a bottle of wine, of course. We stayed for a while and then headed home.
TW went out in the evening, and I caught up with the last episode of Banshee, a really good, enjoyable gangster/criminal/satanic thriller. I don't think I've ever seen such a relentlessly bloody, vicious series. I also watched a bit of Kate Tempest on BBC2, which was great. I'd heard a lot about Kate before, I know that Scroobius Pip is a fan, and I was interested to hear her stuff. I was blown away, and now I'll need to go out and get another CD or two... :(
And that was Saturday.
I think I will have to prune my collection; they should fit into two of these units. I will digitise as much of it as I can (I've digitised a lot of it already, but I find it hard to let go of the physical discs) and there are some CDs that I've never listened to, so I can probably get rid of those without too much of a problem. I do find though, that when I get rid of CDs I always want to listen to them the following day/week/month, even if I haven't listened to them in years. So I don't want to sell or bin discs completely so that I don't have them at all, but it would be nice if they were stored tidily across the two units.
In the afternoon we went to see the GiL, who seemed to be in good spirits. She had been out to The Spotted Cow for lunch, as is her habit most days. For a 97-year old, she is doing well. I think she could do better if she accepted help, but that's not in her nature. Her short-term memory is shot; she kept asking if she'd given the girls money, and she asked me several times how my job was going: "any sign of promotion, Rob?" We'd bought her a few bites to eat, some pork pies and a quiche, and some biscuits. And a bottle of wine, of course. We stayed for a while and then headed home.
TW went out in the evening, and I caught up with the last episode of Banshee, a really good, enjoyable gangster/criminal/satanic thriller. I don't think I've ever seen such a relentlessly bloody, vicious series. I also watched a bit of Kate Tempest on BBC2, which was great. I'd heard a lot about Kate before, I know that Scroobius Pip is a fan, and I was interested to hear her stuff. I was blown away, and now I'll need to go out and get another CD or two... :(
And that was Saturday.
Saturday, October 01, 2016
Friday 16-09-30 Forgetful
Oh, how we laughed.
I got up as soon as the alarm went off yesterday morning. I say "alarm", but I have the radio programmed to switch on to Radio 4, the Today programme, and so I normally stay in bed and listen to it for a few minutes because they are normally discussing something interesting, or they are about to round up the day's newspaper headlines.
But no time for that this morning, I had sold some comics yesterday on eBay and I had emailed the winner to tell him I would post them today, but I hadn't even packaged them up yet. So out of bed, quick shower and dressed, and downstairs. Bubblewrap, sellotape, scissors and brown paper, and it was done. I told the girls that they needed to get dressed, and the normal morning hubbub ensued. Teas were made, breakfasts were had, questions about locations of school uniform were answered. I was aiming for the 07:47 train, so I gobbled down some own-brand wheat biscuits, gulped my tea, and then headed upstairs to clean my teeth. That done, I was back downstairs, popped my shoes on, gathered up my workbag and comics to post, and headed to the door. Kisses to the children and TW delivered and farewells made, the door closed and I was on my way, leaving the hubbub behind. I popped my headphones on and got back into one of the many podcasts I listen to while travelling between home and the office.
It wasn't until I was crossing the Shoreham bridge that TW phoned. "I could f***ing kill you", she said. Oh, dear. What had I done? I wasn't aware of anything I'd messed up. "You've left your cake on the side", she let me know. In all the rush of the morning, and the packing up of the comics, and the breakfasts and the rush to catch the right train, I had forgotten to take the cake with me to work. Macmillan Cancer fundraising would have to do its best without my deliciousness. I couldn't believe it; that was the third time I'd made that cake, the second time for charity, and I'd forgotten to take it in to work.
To compensate, I donated a tenner while at work. And it made for a funny story, so that was a good thing. And it meant I got to have a big slice after dinner last night, so it wasn't all bad news. But it was completely unintentional.
I had lunch out at the Bangkok Kitchen on London Road with a friend, that was nice. I had a massaman curry, which is peanut-flavoured and is basically a plate of satay.
And TW was out in the evening, so I got to watch the penultimate episode of Banshee, which was as gripping and bloody as expected. I'm really stringing out my enjoyment of the show.
I had two beers which is less than my usual intake on a Friday night, due to the Park Run in the morning. Hopefully I can improve on my last time, which was 30:43. We'll have to see.
TTFN.
I got up as soon as the alarm went off yesterday morning. I say "alarm", but I have the radio programmed to switch on to Radio 4, the Today programme, and so I normally stay in bed and listen to it for a few minutes because they are normally discussing something interesting, or they are about to round up the day's newspaper headlines.
But no time for that this morning, I had sold some comics yesterday on eBay and I had emailed the winner to tell him I would post them today, but I hadn't even packaged them up yet. So out of bed, quick shower and dressed, and downstairs. Bubblewrap, sellotape, scissors and brown paper, and it was done. I told the girls that they needed to get dressed, and the normal morning hubbub ensued. Teas were made, breakfasts were had, questions about locations of school uniform were answered. I was aiming for the 07:47 train, so I gobbled down some own-brand wheat biscuits, gulped my tea, and then headed upstairs to clean my teeth. That done, I was back downstairs, popped my shoes on, gathered up my workbag and comics to post, and headed to the door. Kisses to the children and TW delivered and farewells made, the door closed and I was on my way, leaving the hubbub behind. I popped my headphones on and got back into one of the many podcasts I listen to while travelling between home and the office.
It wasn't until I was crossing the Shoreham bridge that TW phoned. "I could f***ing kill you", she said. Oh, dear. What had I done? I wasn't aware of anything I'd messed up. "You've left your cake on the side", she let me know. In all the rush of the morning, and the packing up of the comics, and the breakfasts and the rush to catch the right train, I had forgotten to take the cake with me to work. Macmillan Cancer fundraising would have to do its best without my deliciousness. I couldn't believe it; that was the third time I'd made that cake, the second time for charity, and I'd forgotten to take it in to work.
To compensate, I donated a tenner while at work. And it made for a funny story, so that was a good thing. And it meant I got to have a big slice after dinner last night, so it wasn't all bad news. But it was completely unintentional.
I had lunch out at the Bangkok Kitchen on London Road with a friend, that was nice. I had a massaman curry, which is peanut-flavoured and is basically a plate of satay.
And TW was out in the evening, so I got to watch the penultimate episode of Banshee, which was as gripping and bloody as expected. I'm really stringing out my enjoyment of the show.
I had two beers which is less than my usual intake on a Friday night, due to the Park Run in the morning. Hopefully I can improve on my last time, which was 30:43. We'll have to see.
TTFN.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Thursday 16-09-29 Cake
Yesterday I worked from home because TMO (The Middle One) wasn't well. She complained that she was dizzy when she woke up, and so TW let her stay at home. I didn't have my laptop with me, so I had to go into the office to get it. Which meant a journey in by train, and then home again immediately. Except it wasn't immediate, because Southern had screwed the trains again, and I ended up waiting for half an hour at Hove for any kind of westbound train. I am seriously considering buying a car just to get away from those bloody trains. It used to be a pleasant experience, where I could read a comic or an e-book, or catch up on a podcast, and while away the 25 minutes between Worthing and Hove. But now, if the trains do run on time, which is less often than it should be, they are often crowded, or delayed, and the whole process is an anxious mess more often than not.
Once I got back to Worthing, I popped into the Co-Op and stocked up on comfort foods - Reese's chocolate bars, pork pies and a third thing that I can't quite remember. I was hoping to score a maple pecan Danish, but unfortunately they had either run out, or not got any in stock to begin with.
I spent the morning (what was left of it), up to about 1pm, trying to refine the parameters on a datapull I was looking at, and then the afternoon on several bits and pieces.
TW & I went out for a run together after work, which neither of us had thought would ever happen. Her pace was slower than mine, and so when we got to the mile mark I went a bit further to stretch out. Maybe in a couple of weeks we can properly run together, who knows? The Park Run beckons again this Saturday, so we'll have to see how that goes.
After the run, I made another coffee and walnut cake for the Macmillan Coffee morning we were having at work. TW made the icing and put it together, and then we sat down to relax. We watched a bit more Tyrant (maybe we didn't on Weds?) and I had a few beers, and then it was bedtime.
Once I got back to Worthing, I popped into the Co-Op and stocked up on comfort foods - Reese's chocolate bars, pork pies and a third thing that I can't quite remember. I was hoping to score a maple pecan Danish, but unfortunately they had either run out, or not got any in stock to begin with.
I spent the morning (what was left of it), up to about 1pm, trying to refine the parameters on a datapull I was looking at, and then the afternoon on several bits and pieces.
TW & I went out for a run together after work, which neither of us had thought would ever happen. Her pace was slower than mine, and so when we got to the mile mark I went a bit further to stretch out. Maybe in a couple of weeks we can properly run together, who knows? The Park Run beckons again this Saturday, so we'll have to see how that goes.
After the run, I made another coffee and walnut cake for the Macmillan Coffee morning we were having at work. TW made the icing and put it together, and then we sat down to relax. We watched a bit more Tyrant (maybe we didn't on Weds?) and I had a few beers, and then it was bedtime.
Wednesday 16-09-28
I checked my lottery ticket when I got up. True to form, it wasn't a winner. Work was work.
In the evening we watched a couple of episodes from the second series of Tyrant; it is really picking up. I know that the third series is underway, and we've got it recorded (mostly). I'm sure that the bits we are missing will be repeated before we get to that point. TE showed prospective parents and pupils around her school, which she seems to be enjoying. We met her tutor the other day and he advised that he had no issues with her, and she seemed to be settling in nicely - which was our assessment too, but it was reassuring to hear.
In the evening we watched a couple of episodes from the second series of Tyrant; it is really picking up. I know that the third series is underway, and we've got it recorded (mostly). I'm sure that the bits we are missing will be repeated before we get to that point. TE showed prospective parents and pupils around her school, which she seems to be enjoying. We met her tutor the other day and he advised that he had no issues with her, and she seemed to be settling in nicely - which was our assessment too, but it was reassuring to hear.
Tuesday 16-09-27 A Flutter
Tuesday was a fairly busy day at work. I am currently easing into a new role and there are other bits and pieces that I am picking up because I'm a curious kind of fellow and I find it very hard not to stick my nose into interesting things.
Anyway I got through the day. Then I bought a lottery ticket on the way home and was surprised to see that the price had increased to £2.50. It's getting to the point now where buying a lottery ticket is no longer an impulse purchase. By that, I mean that if I happen to be in the Co-Op buying wine or milk or bread, I have often said, in the past, "oh, and you may as well sell me a lottery ticket too, on top of my planned purchases". £2 is about the limit for an impulse buy, especially considering how infrequently I am lucky enough to win. So that's probably me and the lottery parting ways - not that my contribution will be missed.
When I got home I put a couple of bets on the football using PaddyPower. I only normally gamble 10p or 20p, it's supposed to be a bit of fun. I wagered 20p on Celtic to beat Man City and 10p each on Newcastle vs Norwich and Coventry vs AFC Wimbledon. The Celtic / Man City game sounded like a real belter, if you like that sort of thing. Celtic took the lead, and I considered cashing out, but then Man City drew level, and I thought my bet was over. But Celtic scored again to take the lead, and I cashed out at that point, with 40p. I had made my money back, so anything I got from the other two games would be pure profit. Newcastle went ahead, and I cashed out for 13p, if I remember rightly. the Coventry game never got going, at least not in Coventry's favour and so that 10p was gone. I put another 10p on Celtic to win, with about 15 minutes to go, which was a bit foolish, as the game ended in a draw. So I was 3p up on the night. Overall, compared to my usual luck, that was a good result.
Anyway I got through the day. Then I bought a lottery ticket on the way home and was surprised to see that the price had increased to £2.50. It's getting to the point now where buying a lottery ticket is no longer an impulse purchase. By that, I mean that if I happen to be in the Co-Op buying wine or milk or bread, I have often said, in the past, "oh, and you may as well sell me a lottery ticket too, on top of my planned purchases". £2 is about the limit for an impulse buy, especially considering how infrequently I am lucky enough to win. So that's probably me and the lottery parting ways - not that my contribution will be missed.
When I got home I put a couple of bets on the football using PaddyPower. I only normally gamble 10p or 20p, it's supposed to be a bit of fun. I wagered 20p on Celtic to beat Man City and 10p each on Newcastle vs Norwich and Coventry vs AFC Wimbledon. The Celtic / Man City game sounded like a real belter, if you like that sort of thing. Celtic took the lead, and I considered cashing out, but then Man City drew level, and I thought my bet was over. But Celtic scored again to take the lead, and I cashed out at that point, with 40p. I had made my money back, so anything I got from the other two games would be pure profit. Newcastle went ahead, and I cashed out for 13p, if I remember rightly. the Coventry game never got going, at least not in Coventry's favour and so that 10p was gone. I put another 10p on Celtic to win, with about 15 minutes to go, which was a bit foolish, as the game ended in a draw. So I was 3p up on the night. Overall, compared to my usual luck, that was a good result.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Monday 16-09-26 Forest Friends
morning... pic.twitter.com/BbLlxJSQUL— forest fr1ends (@forest_fr1ends) August 15, 2016
Monday was spent scrolling through "Forest Fr1ends" ' Twitter feed and laughing uncontrollably, as the scenes got funnier and darker. It is amazing what you can do with a couple of poseable dolls, and whoever dreams up these images / captions deserves an award of some description.
As I watched last week's Antiques Roadshow while this week's was broadcasting, I got to watch last night's episode tonight, which was a real bonus. I love a bit of Antiques Roadshow, although I'm not really sure why. I guess it is a bit of a tradition as Summer fades and becomes Autumn, and the pace of the show is relaxed and unhurried. The theme tune hasn't changed, as far as I can tell, and I still think of the Adam and Joe pastiche every time every week. I think it's a bit like Ski Sunday, in that a lot of the time people weren't watching it for the skiing, they wanted to see the spectacular crashes. And part of the attraction of Antiques Roadshow is watching people's reaction to the valuation of their goods. Sometimes things which have been in the family for generations turn out to be crappy fakes and worthless, and sometimes a carboot sale bargain turns out to be worth thousands. It is interesting as well to appraise the style of the goods, and decide whether you like the minimalist glassware or the ornate china. TW and I tend to disagree on styles some of the time, so it makes for interesting viewing. I had a couple of cans of Kronenbourg while watching telly, there's nothing like a four-pack to start the week right, and by the time those had been sunk, and the telly was warming down, it was time for bed.
Monday, September 26, 2016
Sunday 16-09-25
Yesterday I spent most of the day nursing a hangover. We were at a house party on Saturday, raising money for Macmillan cancer support, and I drank more than I should have done. I am okay when drinking at home, because I can keep a track of how much I have had, but when I am out and people keep on topping up my glass I tend to lose track and end up overdoing it. At least, that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
I had listed a bureau on eBay and it had sold, the auction finished on Saturday. Obviously, because it was a heavy bit of furniture, I advertised it as "collection only", and I was surprised to find that the woman who bought it was coming all the way from Portsmouth. She came and picked it up at midday, and as it turned out she was combining the collection with other errands, so it all turned out well.
TW & I were talking and we couldn't remember where we got the bureau from, nor whether we paid for it. So the £21 we got for it was a welcome bonus. And as it is near the end of the month, the cash injection was most welcome. I'd like to think that we are in a decluttering phase, but I think that there is still more stuff coming into the house than leaving it. Especially comics...
Later on, I packed up twelve comics - two mini-series of six issues each, which I did quite well on. Considering I sold one set as used, I only "lost" £2.30, or looking at it differently, it only cost me that much to read them. The other set I sold as new, since I had only opened them in order to board them, and I actually made a few pounds on them, I sold them for more than I paid for them. Which doesn't happen very often, so that was nice. I don't trade in comics to make money, but I have a bookcase full upstairs, as well as a number of boxes around, and they are now starting to spill out onto the floor. My intention is to read them and get rid; I've got several hundred pounds tied up in those comics and it would be nice to realise a portion of that, as well as make some space in the house. Those comics were posted this morning.
I've started reading Fight Club #2 by Chuck Palahniuk, which is in comic book format. It's a ten issue run, and some of the artwork is just stunning. The story is a bit weird to start with, and it is a bit confusing when Tyler Durden re-emerges, and Sebastian is also in the frame, since I thought they were the same person, but I might need to revisit the story to see exactly where my confusion is... I shall try to sell that as well, when I've finished it, and if I can stay focused, that should be by the end of the week. We'll see.
I had listed a bureau on eBay and it had sold, the auction finished on Saturday. Obviously, because it was a heavy bit of furniture, I advertised it as "collection only", and I was surprised to find that the woman who bought it was coming all the way from Portsmouth. She came and picked it up at midday, and as it turned out she was combining the collection with other errands, so it all turned out well.
TW & I were talking and we couldn't remember where we got the bureau from, nor whether we paid for it. So the £21 we got for it was a welcome bonus. And as it is near the end of the month, the cash injection was most welcome. I'd like to think that we are in a decluttering phase, but I think that there is still more stuff coming into the house than leaving it. Especially comics...
Later on, I packed up twelve comics - two mini-series of six issues each, which I did quite well on. Considering I sold one set as used, I only "lost" £2.30, or looking at it differently, it only cost me that much to read them. The other set I sold as new, since I had only opened them in order to board them, and I actually made a few pounds on them, I sold them for more than I paid for them. Which doesn't happen very often, so that was nice. I don't trade in comics to make money, but I have a bookcase full upstairs, as well as a number of boxes around, and they are now starting to spill out onto the floor. My intention is to read them and get rid; I've got several hundred pounds tied up in those comics and it would be nice to realise a portion of that, as well as make some space in the house. Those comics were posted this morning.
I've started reading Fight Club #2 by Chuck Palahniuk, which is in comic book format. It's a ten issue run, and some of the artwork is just stunning. The story is a bit weird to start with, and it is a bit confusing when Tyler Durden re-emerges, and Sebastian is also in the frame, since I thought they were the same person, but I might need to revisit the story to see exactly where my confusion is... I shall try to sell that as well, when I've finished it, and if I can stay focused, that should be by the end of the week. We'll see.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Southern Rail Lost Property is a Joke
I managed to lose a jacket on Southern Railway a few weeks ago, in the middle of August. I say I lost it, I left it in a carriage and didn't realise until I was out of the station. By the time I doubled back, needless to say, the train I arrived on had departed back to Worthing / Littlehampton and it was out of sight.
I asked the station staff if they had found the jacket, but they professed ignorance. I filled in an online form, but I was fairly pessimistic. I had previously lost a pair of prescription glasses, which never turned up, and I wasn't really expecting any results from this effort either.
Lo and behold, I did (after a couple of weeks) receive an email advising that they had my jacket and I could come and pick it up. And that is where the whole inconvenience and irrationality became apparent.
They advised that the jacket was at Victoria Station, in London, and I could come and pick it up between 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday.
a) I work from 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday, and
b) I live in Worthing and I work in Brighton.
There is no way I can get to Victoria to collect my jacket. Even if I took time off work, losing a valuable day's holiday which I would rather spend with family, it would cost me £18 and take four hours out of my life. Apparently all lost property found on Southern Rail ends up in Victoria. Which means that if you live in Lewes or Chichester or Littlehampton, you would need to get to Victoria to recover your goods.
But wait! There is a courier option! That might be worth exploring. Except that, having finally got through to the humans in the office, it seems that there is a challenge. Getting through to a human is a feat in itself; you have to pretend that you lost the item on a platform, and that it was more than 72 hours ago. The first two times I called, I chose the real options, i.e., that I left the item on a train, and the train terminated in Victoria - since Brighton / Littlehampton weren't options. A recorded message informed me that I should phone Southern, and the call terminated. At no point during the myriad number of options was I offered the opportunity to speak to a real person. Anyway, once I got through to a real person in the Lost Property office in Victoria, they advised that yes, they could courier the item to me. The cost for an item of clothing was £24, and the £5 processing fee would need to be to added to that. So the cost of retrieving my jacket would either be £29 or £18 and a lost day.
I weighed up the options on offer, and told the lovely lady in the Victoria Lost Property office that she could bin the jacket. I wasn't going to pay the outlandish fees they were requesting. They could have sent it UPS for a fiver, probably. Not to mention that, erm, Victoria is right at the centre of the best distribution network in the country, i.e., the railway. How difficult would it have been to put the jacket on the Victoria to Brighton, or Victoria to Worthing train, and leave it in the Customer Service office there for me to pick up?
It seems to me that not only are Southern absolutely crap at organising trains and their running times, but they are out to scalp their customers for returning to them what is rightfully theirs.
I've had enough of Southern and their complete ineptitude, and I am currently investigating the cost of leasing a car to get into work. Yes, it will add to the overall congestion on the roads, but it seems that I can get a car for about £100 a month, which compares favourably to the £160 Southern charge for my monthly ticket. And if it means not paying this inefficient company any more money, it may be worth it in the long run. "Vote with your feet", that's what they say, isn't it?
TTFN.
I asked the station staff if they had found the jacket, but they professed ignorance. I filled in an online form, but I was fairly pessimistic. I had previously lost a pair of prescription glasses, which never turned up, and I wasn't really expecting any results from this effort either.
Lo and behold, I did (after a couple of weeks) receive an email advising that they had my jacket and I could come and pick it up. And that is where the whole inconvenience and irrationality became apparent.
They advised that the jacket was at Victoria Station, in London, and I could come and pick it up between 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday.
a) I work from 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday, and
b) I live in Worthing and I work in Brighton.
There is no way I can get to Victoria to collect my jacket. Even if I took time off work, losing a valuable day's holiday which I would rather spend with family, it would cost me £18 and take four hours out of my life. Apparently all lost property found on Southern Rail ends up in Victoria. Which means that if you live in Lewes or Chichester or Littlehampton, you would need to get to Victoria to recover your goods.
But wait! There is a courier option! That might be worth exploring. Except that, having finally got through to the humans in the office, it seems that there is a challenge. Getting through to a human is a feat in itself; you have to pretend that you lost the item on a platform, and that it was more than 72 hours ago. The first two times I called, I chose the real options, i.e., that I left the item on a train, and the train terminated in Victoria - since Brighton / Littlehampton weren't options. A recorded message informed me that I should phone Southern, and the call terminated. At no point during the myriad number of options was I offered the opportunity to speak to a real person. Anyway, once I got through to a real person in the Lost Property office in Victoria, they advised that yes, they could courier the item to me. The cost for an item of clothing was £24, and the £5 processing fee would need to be to added to that. So the cost of retrieving my jacket would either be £29 or £18 and a lost day.
I weighed up the options on offer, and told the lovely lady in the Victoria Lost Property office that she could bin the jacket. I wasn't going to pay the outlandish fees they were requesting. They could have sent it UPS for a fiver, probably. Not to mention that, erm, Victoria is right at the centre of the best distribution network in the country, i.e., the railway. How difficult would it have been to put the jacket on the Victoria to Brighton, or Victoria to Worthing train, and leave it in the Customer Service office there for me to pick up?
It seems to me that not only are Southern absolutely crap at organising trains and their running times, but they are out to scalp their customers for returning to them what is rightfully theirs.
I've had enough of Southern and their complete ineptitude, and I am currently investigating the cost of leasing a car to get into work. Yes, it will add to the overall congestion on the roads, but it seems that I can get a car for about £100 a month, which compares favourably to the £160 Southern charge for my monthly ticket. And if it means not paying this inefficient company any more money, it may be worth it in the long run. "Vote with your feet", that's what they say, isn't it?
TTFN.
Monday, September 19, 2016
An Active Weekend
We got up early on Saturday morning in preparation for our second ever Park Run. I think we were both looking forward to it; I had drunk a few cans of beer the night before, and TW had indulged in her passion for prosecco, but we were both clear-headed and up for the challenge. I had been out on a warm-up run on Wednesday night, a little 2.4 mile jaunt to keep my hand in. I couldn't have gone before that, due to the aches in my legs - I was finding it difficult enough walking up and down stairs, let alone running. I did think that I had D.O.M.S. (delayed onset muscle soreness), and I may well have done, but I got through it. That'll teach me to dive straight into a three mile run.
So, we dumped the younger two at the pool, and TW and I and TE (The Eldest) lined up for the run. I set off ahead of them, and made good time, I think - I stopped once for a breath on the way out, and twice on the way back. D was miles ahead and finished in about 23 minutes, but C, another friend who ran with us overtook me on the way back (I had stopped to do up a shoelace) and so I stayed in touch with her, and we ran in together at the end - she finished one second ahead of me, and my time was 31:50, which was an average of under ten minutes per mile. I was pleased with that. TW was pleased with her time, and I went back on to the course to run in with TE. She was a bit embarrassed and didn't want to run, but I think we can encourage her in future to realise that it is about your own personal performance, and sod what others think.
On Saturday afternoon we had made a loose arrangement to go for a walk with D & M and their kids, but it turned out that they had farmed their kids out to grandparents, so we went for a family walk along the River Rife at Ferring, which was a nice breath of fresh air. The girls were in good spirits, despite having been torn away from their electronic devices, and it had turned into a lovely afternoon.
On Saturday evening we swapped one of our kids for one of D & M's, as well as taking in a companion for TE, and had two separate sleepovers. I believe TE watched The Jungle Book (the new version), and TMO (The Middle One) watched a couple of nature documentaries. No, I don't know why either.
They went to bed late-ish, TE finally piped down at about 22:30, and there were no night-time dramas, which was nice. Or if there were, they didn't wake me up.
Sunday morning came, and after eating our fill of pancakes, we went for a six mile bike ride and then visited M&P, my parents, for a brunch of bacon sandwiches. They were delicious, and made even more tasty by the exercise. We cycled from our mansion near West Worthing station down to Goring Gap and back, getting slightly lost on the way. We tried to go inland on the return leg, but ended up back on the seafront, so rode three sides of a square in my estimation. I wouldn't be surprised if it was TW's way of getting an extra bit of distance into the ride.
And that was me, I was done in. For most of Sunday afternoon, I watched tablets be sold on eBay, but TW kept going. Not only did she go for a further bike ride, adding another six miles to her total for the day, but she then got on with painting the back bedroom so that TE (The Youngest) can eventually have her own room.
It was a good weekend, and I think we will want to emulate the levels of activity in future weeks. It would be odd if we turned into one of those "active families" which we don't know very well, but I think we all enjoyed ourselves. Oh dear.
TTFN.
So, we dumped the younger two at the pool, and TW and I and TE (The Eldest) lined up for the run. I set off ahead of them, and made good time, I think - I stopped once for a breath on the way out, and twice on the way back. D was miles ahead and finished in about 23 minutes, but C, another friend who ran with us overtook me on the way back (I had stopped to do up a shoelace) and so I stayed in touch with her, and we ran in together at the end - she finished one second ahead of me, and my time was 31:50, which was an average of under ten minutes per mile. I was pleased with that. TW was pleased with her time, and I went back on to the course to run in with TE. She was a bit embarrassed and didn't want to run, but I think we can encourage her in future to realise that it is about your own personal performance, and sod what others think.
On Saturday afternoon we had made a loose arrangement to go for a walk with D & M and their kids, but it turned out that they had farmed their kids out to grandparents, so we went for a family walk along the River Rife at Ferring, which was a nice breath of fresh air. The girls were in good spirits, despite having been torn away from their electronic devices, and it had turned into a lovely afternoon.
On Saturday evening we swapped one of our kids for one of D & M's, as well as taking in a companion for TE, and had two separate sleepovers. I believe TE watched The Jungle Book (the new version), and TMO (The Middle One) watched a couple of nature documentaries. No, I don't know why either.
They went to bed late-ish, TE finally piped down at about 22:30, and there were no night-time dramas, which was nice. Or if there were, they didn't wake me up.
Sunday morning came, and after eating our fill of pancakes, we went for a six mile bike ride and then visited M&P, my parents, for a brunch of bacon sandwiches. They were delicious, and made even more tasty by the exercise. We cycled from our mansion near West Worthing station down to Goring Gap and back, getting slightly lost on the way. We tried to go inland on the return leg, but ended up back on the seafront, so rode three sides of a square in my estimation. I wouldn't be surprised if it was TW's way of getting an extra bit of distance into the ride.
And that was me, I was done in. For most of Sunday afternoon, I watched tablets be sold on eBay, but TW kept going. Not only did she go for a further bike ride, adding another six miles to her total for the day, but she then got on with painting the back bedroom so that TE (The Youngest) can eventually have her own room.
It was a good weekend, and I think we will want to emulate the levels of activity in future weeks. It would be odd if we turned into one of those "active families" which we don't know very well, but I think we all enjoyed ourselves. Oh dear.
TTFN.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Farewell David Cameron
Yesterday David Cameron announced that he was stepping down as a Conservative MP, triggering a by-election in Witney, near to where the MiL lives.
I suppose it was inevitable that he would take that step, having resigned as PM (Prime Minister) back in June. After you have been responsible for running the country, trying to sort out the inconsequential woes of a few backbenchers wouldn't be quite as thrilling.
But it is not as though Witney is suddenly an unsafe seat. Apparently the vote for the Conservatives in the last election was over 60%. The party there could nominate a plate of jelly and it would probably be voted in with a majority. So there will be no threat to the slender Conservative majority (a working majority of 16) from Cameron's resignation. It's probably best though if they don't nominate any kind of pig.
What upsets me is that Cameron took us into a referendum on membership of the EU, which he lost, and he is able to walk away unscathed from the incident. His PM's pension is safe, his MP's pension is safe, his expenses have been paid and he walks away without consequence. The rest of us have to live with his decision and his inability to win an argument.
I have mentioned Brexit before, and there is no reward in retreading old arguments. What I will say is that Cameron has a degree of security which the rest of us don't enjoy, despite the fact that he was the one who took the gamble, and we were passive onlookers to his efforts. And that doesn't sit well with me. It is all of a piece with the attitude he took in the days and months leading up to his resignation, where he simply wouldn't accept alternative arguments. How can you have a constructive discussion with someone who won't accept an alternative view?
I suppose that the only comfort that we can take now, at this point, is the news that Cameron was the PM who took us out of the EU, despite this being contrary to his own views. I expect and hope that the economic and social uncertainty which will probably be forthcoming over the next few years will be blamed on him and his insulated coterie. So that will be his legacy, despite any good he may have done, and his efforts to blunt the teeth of the right-wingers in the Tory party.
Having said that, I haven't suffered until now because of the Brexit vote, and I hope that those who can have planned for what happens when Article 50 is actually invoked, so that any impact at that point is mitigated. But even if there are people out there who claim that Brexit will have a small impact (if any at all), I think the general uncertainty and lack of investment due to the uncertainty can be firmly laid at Cameron's door.
So on that basis, I guess my distilled message to Cameron would be: farewell, it's probably best that you go now, before you can cause any more damage. After all, a change is as good as a rest (except when it's Theresa May).
TTFN.
I suppose it was inevitable that he would take that step, having resigned as PM (Prime Minister) back in June. After you have been responsible for running the country, trying to sort out the inconsequential woes of a few backbenchers wouldn't be quite as thrilling.
But it is not as though Witney is suddenly an unsafe seat. Apparently the vote for the Conservatives in the last election was over 60%. The party there could nominate a plate of jelly and it would probably be voted in with a majority. So there will be no threat to the slender Conservative majority (a working majority of 16) from Cameron's resignation. It's probably best though if they don't nominate any kind of pig.
What upsets me is that Cameron took us into a referendum on membership of the EU, which he lost, and he is able to walk away unscathed from the incident. His PM's pension is safe, his MP's pension is safe, his expenses have been paid and he walks away without consequence. The rest of us have to live with his decision and his inability to win an argument.
I have mentioned Brexit before, and there is no reward in retreading old arguments. What I will say is that Cameron has a degree of security which the rest of us don't enjoy, despite the fact that he was the one who took the gamble, and we were passive onlookers to his efforts. And that doesn't sit well with me. It is all of a piece with the attitude he took in the days and months leading up to his resignation, where he simply wouldn't accept alternative arguments. How can you have a constructive discussion with someone who won't accept an alternative view?
I suppose that the only comfort that we can take now, at this point, is the news that Cameron was the PM who took us out of the EU, despite this being contrary to his own views. I expect and hope that the economic and social uncertainty which will probably be forthcoming over the next few years will be blamed on him and his insulated coterie. So that will be his legacy, despite any good he may have done, and his efforts to blunt the teeth of the right-wingers in the Tory party.
Having said that, I haven't suffered until now because of the Brexit vote, and I hope that those who can have planned for what happens when Article 50 is actually invoked, so that any impact at that point is mitigated. But even if there are people out there who claim that Brexit will have a small impact (if any at all), I think the general uncertainty and lack of investment due to the uncertainty can be firmly laid at Cameron's door.
So on that basis, I guess my distilled message to Cameron would be: farewell, it's probably best that you go now, before you can cause any more damage. After all, a change is as good as a rest (except when it's Theresa May).
TTFN.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
First Park Run
Yesterday we attended our first Park Run in Worthing. Park Runs are organised all around the country, they are five kilometres in length and they start at 9am on a Saturday morning.
I had exchanged a couple of texts with our friend and neighbour, D, on Friday night, and he had asked if we (as a family) wanted to join him and his on the Saturday morning, and I had considered it. I was the best part of a bottle of wine down by that time, as TW was babysitting elsewhere, and I thought that probably I wouldn't be in any fit state to run 5k (that's 3.1 miles in old money). I was up and about on Saturday morning making a cup of tea at about 8.30am when I heard activity, so I looked out of the window and there he was, heading to his car. He asked whether I was going to join them on the run, and I was up for it individually, the girls weren't really bothered. But then TW chatted to M, his partner, and all of a sudden we were all going.
We got dressed in double quick time and took swimming stuff for the kids for afterwards, and drove down to the start point, which is at Splashpoint. We got there just as the race organiser was addressing the assembled runners, and there were a number, about 200 or so. We walked then to the start point and set off. The Middle Child was on a scooter, D's kids had a bike and a scooter too, and between them they managed to make their way around most of the course. I say "course", the run is west along the seafront and then back east along the seafront to the start point. So it's nice and flat, although if the wind were stronger, I can see that it may be a challenge.
I was running slowly at the back, and was comfortable. I stopped a few times, and walked, but ran most of the way. My average time at the end was just over 11 minutes per mile, which considering the last time I ran was June last year, I'm quite pleased with. I was 173rd out of 202, and my time was between 34:48 and 35:48. I recorded it on Runkeeper as well, and I reckon, according to that, that my time was 35:19. I could also when I stopped, as my minutes per mile average spiked then. So I stopped five times, apparently, and walked.
TW and The Eldest ran together, and managed to complete the course in about 40 minutes, which they were both happy with. D, being a more committed runner, managed it in about 25 minutes, but then he is due to be running a half-marathon soon, so he needs to be up with the real runners.
Unfortunately one of our other friends and neighbours, C, didn't make it, which was a shame, since she was the one who started the whole thing by suggesting it last week. Still, hopefully we will be able to run as a street next time..?
So I ran unofficially yesterday, but I've signed up on the Park Run website and next time I will have my barcode to register my time properly. Of course, this means that I will have to run mid-week to improve my times on Saturdays. Damnit. But I did think that was coming...
After the run, we sent the girls unaccompanied into the swimming pool - that was no problem, as they are good swimmers. The problem was that they were still in there an hour and three quarters later, at 11:45am. We'd had a coffee and were beginning to cool down, and I wanted to get home. But at least they had a good time. And today I don't ache as badly as I thought I would - result!
TTFN.
I had exchanged a couple of texts with our friend and neighbour, D, on Friday night, and he had asked if we (as a family) wanted to join him and his on the Saturday morning, and I had considered it. I was the best part of a bottle of wine down by that time, as TW was babysitting elsewhere, and I thought that probably I wouldn't be in any fit state to run 5k (that's 3.1 miles in old money). I was up and about on Saturday morning making a cup of tea at about 8.30am when I heard activity, so I looked out of the window and there he was, heading to his car. He asked whether I was going to join them on the run, and I was up for it individually, the girls weren't really bothered. But then TW chatted to M, his partner, and all of a sudden we were all going.
We got dressed in double quick time and took swimming stuff for the kids for afterwards, and drove down to the start point, which is at Splashpoint. We got there just as the race organiser was addressing the assembled runners, and there were a number, about 200 or so. We walked then to the start point and set off. The Middle Child was on a scooter, D's kids had a bike and a scooter too, and between them they managed to make their way around most of the course. I say "course", the run is west along the seafront and then back east along the seafront to the start point. So it's nice and flat, although if the wind were stronger, I can see that it may be a challenge.
I was running slowly at the back, and was comfortable. I stopped a few times, and walked, but ran most of the way. My average time at the end was just over 11 minutes per mile, which considering the last time I ran was June last year, I'm quite pleased with. I was 173rd out of 202, and my time was between 34:48 and 35:48. I recorded it on Runkeeper as well, and I reckon, according to that, that my time was 35:19. I could also when I stopped, as my minutes per mile average spiked then. So I stopped five times, apparently, and walked.
TW and The Eldest ran together, and managed to complete the course in about 40 minutes, which they were both happy with. D, being a more committed runner, managed it in about 25 minutes, but then he is due to be running a half-marathon soon, so he needs to be up with the real runners.
Unfortunately one of our other friends and neighbours, C, didn't make it, which was a shame, since she was the one who started the whole thing by suggesting it last week. Still, hopefully we will be able to run as a street next time..?
So I ran unofficially yesterday, but I've signed up on the Park Run website and next time I will have my barcode to register my time properly. Of course, this means that I will have to run mid-week to improve my times on Saturdays. Damnit. But I did think that was coming...
After the run, we sent the girls unaccompanied into the swimming pool - that was no problem, as they are good swimmers. The problem was that they were still in there an hour and three quarters later, at 11:45am. We'd had a coffee and were beginning to cool down, and I wanted to get home. But at least they had a good time. And today I don't ache as badly as I thought I would - result!
TTFN.
Wednesday, September 07, 2016
Some Brexit-related Thoughts
A couple of days ago, our new Prime Minister Theresa May stated that "Brexit means Brexit, precisely because it does". This is the sort of language an exasperated parent might use with a querulous and unruly child, and it brooks no further discussion.
But I think that there are a couple of interesting things to point out. I'm not going to argue in favour of or against Brexit, but I am intrigued by the fall-out of the vote, and the unexpected things that have happened.
First things first, everyone involved in the vote (from a leadership perspective) has resigned / retired from public view. Farage has stood down as leader of UKIP, Boris Johnson withdrew from the PM leadership race, despite being the bookies' favourite, and Gove stood for the leadership but was knocked out in the early rounds.
Cameron resigned the morning after the vote, despite pledging to stay and negotiate the will of the British people. Poor guy, probably the main things he will be remembered for are Brexit and pig-bothering (at least one of those is an actual fact). Farage and Johnson weren't in any position to promise anything to the British people, such as an extra £350M for the NHS, or a points-based immigration system. None of them were in power, and so they couldn't enact any policies or initiatives to deliver what they were promising. If Johnson had seen through his leadership challenge, he could have issued directive after directive from No. 10, but I believe that when he peered over the edge of the abyss and thought through what he had signed up to, he decided not to accept the offer of the poisoned chalice. Who would want to be remembered as the PM who took Britain out of the EU?
Well, it seems that Theresa May does. Maybe her desire to be PM trumps everything else, and maybe she thinks she can stall until she is voted out of office, but it does seem that something weird is going on. Article 50 hasn't been invoked yet, and we are now two and a bit months after the vote. We need to get our skates on, I think.
The other weird thing is the level of confidence in business circles has risen dramatically. Of course the stock market crashed after the vote, and the £/$ exchange rate plummeted, but since then the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 250 have roared ahead with all guns blazing. My pension, invested as it is in stocks and shares, is feeling positively healthy. And it seems that there is a healthy dose of optimism washing over the nation.
It isn't washing over me, I am still waiting for "the other shoe to drop", but maybe that's because I'm a pessimistic middle-aged man, who is now used to living in a zero-inflation, zero-growth environment. If inflation does start to kick in, I believe I will be worse off than I am now, and thinking back, I believe I had more disposable income five years ago than I do today. Sad, isn't it?
But I hope that the markets have priced Brexit in to future expectations. Although that would be hard to do, considering that currently it seems that no-one knows what to expect from Brexit. Apparently the "experts" have been saying that we would do well if we managed to deflate our economy, and we seem to have done that overnight - the £ is now worth $1.33 (approx) when it was worth nearly $1.50 before the Brexit vote.
All in all, we are in uncharted waters. Some people think we should be able to negotiate trade deals outside the EU now, while others take the opposing view. Some people think we should invoke Article 50 as soon as possible, while others think we should delay (and even now we have no idea when it will be invoked). We are in a state of limbo while our "leaders" decide what Brexit looks like, and whether it is acceptable to the members of the EU. And in the meantime, life goes on, we have to buy goods & services, and city folk have to trade stocks and shares. And currently things seem to be on the up, much like Dennis Waterman, but I can't help feeling that there is more to come, like a particular Vic & Bob ad for yogurt. I guess we will see.
What I am trying to say is that the jury is still out. We need to see how things pan out. Good luck, and see you on the other side...
TTFN.
But I think that there are a couple of interesting things to point out. I'm not going to argue in favour of or against Brexit, but I am intrigued by the fall-out of the vote, and the unexpected things that have happened.
First things first, everyone involved in the vote (from a leadership perspective) has resigned / retired from public view. Farage has stood down as leader of UKIP, Boris Johnson withdrew from the PM leadership race, despite being the bookies' favourite, and Gove stood for the leadership but was knocked out in the early rounds.
Cameron resigned the morning after the vote, despite pledging to stay and negotiate the will of the British people. Poor guy, probably the main things he will be remembered for are Brexit and pig-bothering (at least one of those is an actual fact). Farage and Johnson weren't in any position to promise anything to the British people, such as an extra £350M for the NHS, or a points-based immigration system. None of them were in power, and so they couldn't enact any policies or initiatives to deliver what they were promising. If Johnson had seen through his leadership challenge, he could have issued directive after directive from No. 10, but I believe that when he peered over the edge of the abyss and thought through what he had signed up to, he decided not to accept the offer of the poisoned chalice. Who would want to be remembered as the PM who took Britain out of the EU?
Well, it seems that Theresa May does. Maybe her desire to be PM trumps everything else, and maybe she thinks she can stall until she is voted out of office, but it does seem that something weird is going on. Article 50 hasn't been invoked yet, and we are now two and a bit months after the vote. We need to get our skates on, I think.
The other weird thing is the level of confidence in business circles has risen dramatically. Of course the stock market crashed after the vote, and the £/$ exchange rate plummeted, but since then the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 250 have roared ahead with all guns blazing. My pension, invested as it is in stocks and shares, is feeling positively healthy. And it seems that there is a healthy dose of optimism washing over the nation.
It isn't washing over me, I am still waiting for "the other shoe to drop", but maybe that's because I'm a pessimistic middle-aged man, who is now used to living in a zero-inflation, zero-growth environment. If inflation does start to kick in, I believe I will be worse off than I am now, and thinking back, I believe I had more disposable income five years ago than I do today. Sad, isn't it?
But I hope that the markets have priced Brexit in to future expectations. Although that would be hard to do, considering that currently it seems that no-one knows what to expect from Brexit. Apparently the "experts" have been saying that we would do well if we managed to deflate our economy, and we seem to have done that overnight - the £ is now worth $1.33 (approx) when it was worth nearly $1.50 before the Brexit vote.
All in all, we are in uncharted waters. Some people think we should be able to negotiate trade deals outside the EU now, while others take the opposing view. Some people think we should invoke Article 50 as soon as possible, while others think we should delay (and even now we have no idea when it will be invoked). We are in a state of limbo while our "leaders" decide what Brexit looks like, and whether it is acceptable to the members of the EU. And in the meantime, life goes on, we have to buy goods & services, and city folk have to trade stocks and shares. And currently things seem to be on the up, much like Dennis Waterman, but I can't help feeling that there is more to come, like a particular Vic & Bob ad for yogurt. I guess we will see.
What I am trying to say is that the jury is still out. We need to see how things pan out. Good luck, and see you on the other side...
TTFN.
Thursday, September 01, 2016
A Family Bike Ride
Today we went for our first family bike ride. TW has signed up for the London-Brighton Bike Ride and her brother has kindly given her a Specialized on long-term loan. On Monday we visited Halfords for the first time ever and bought her lights and a helmet, and so we were christened.
Today I pumped up the tires on the bikes in preparation, and I looked at the chains, although I wouldn't know the first thing to do with them, even if I could identify what was wrong with them. I took a test ride on my chosen bike, up and down the road, and tested the brakes. I was a little confused because there seemed to be a bit of give in the tires, but they were as hard as rock - then I realised that the bike had suspension, and that was providing the give that I was feeling. I wobbled a bit; I can't remember the last time I rode a bike. But I made it up the road and back in one piece, and it's all about the small wins.
I took the girls to Halfords to buy helmets for them, since we are planning to cycle to Lancing tomorrow, and now that I know where it is (Halfords, that is), and I'm almost on first-name terms with the staff, the world of cycles and their accessories holds no mystery for me. £65 later, all four of us, myself included, were kitted out with protective headgear.
Final touches were made to the bikes, and then we set out, down our road, through the alley to the Co-Op, across the train crossing and into Grand Avenue, when The Eldest calls out "Stop!". It turns out her front tire was flat again, despite the fact that I had only pumped it up less than five minutes ago. A definite puncture. But, when there were five of us riding, the odds that something was going to go wrong was pretty high. We cycled to a friend's house where TW asked them if they had a spare bike we could borrow, but unfortunately they didn't, so my ride ended there. I walked home with The Eldest (TE)'s bike, and she took mine. TW cycled on with the three kids in tow, a little like a proud swan with her brood - at least that is the way I picture her.
I took the front wheel off TE's bike in the front garden, and one of our friends and neighbours helped to extract the inner tube. I blew it up and could immediately see where the puncture was; it was on the join between the valve and the inner. Another neighbour and friend advised that it was a common spot for a puncture. He provided a puncture kit and applied the patch to the tire, as I looked on. At least I can say I learned something, even if I didn't do the actual fixing myself. I checked the tire as I put the bike away tonight and the tire seemed still inflated, so I hope it is the same in the morning.
TW and the girls rode as far as Splashpoint, and they enjoyed it, so it seems that Lancing it is in the morning. Wish me luck and I hope there are no sprains or scratches to report...
TTFN.
Today I pumped up the tires on the bikes in preparation, and I looked at the chains, although I wouldn't know the first thing to do with them, even if I could identify what was wrong with them. I took a test ride on my chosen bike, up and down the road, and tested the brakes. I was a little confused because there seemed to be a bit of give in the tires, but they were as hard as rock - then I realised that the bike had suspension, and that was providing the give that I was feeling. I wobbled a bit; I can't remember the last time I rode a bike. But I made it up the road and back in one piece, and it's all about the small wins.
I took the girls to Halfords to buy helmets for them, since we are planning to cycle to Lancing tomorrow, and now that I know where it is (Halfords, that is), and I'm almost on first-name terms with the staff, the world of cycles and their accessories holds no mystery for me. £65 later, all four of us, myself included, were kitted out with protective headgear.
Final touches were made to the bikes, and then we set out, down our road, through the alley to the Co-Op, across the train crossing and into Grand Avenue, when The Eldest calls out "Stop!". It turns out her front tire was flat again, despite the fact that I had only pumped it up less than five minutes ago. A definite puncture. But, when there were five of us riding, the odds that something was going to go wrong was pretty high. We cycled to a friend's house where TW asked them if they had a spare bike we could borrow, but unfortunately they didn't, so my ride ended there. I walked home with The Eldest (TE)'s bike, and she took mine. TW cycled on with the three kids in tow, a little like a proud swan with her brood - at least that is the way I picture her.
I took the front wheel off TE's bike in the front garden, and one of our friends and neighbours helped to extract the inner tube. I blew it up and could immediately see where the puncture was; it was on the join between the valve and the inner. Another neighbour and friend advised that it was a common spot for a puncture. He provided a puncture kit and applied the patch to the tire, as I looked on. At least I can say I learned something, even if I didn't do the actual fixing myself. I checked the tire as I put the bike away tonight and the tire seemed still inflated, so I hope it is the same in the morning.
TW and the girls rode as far as Splashpoint, and they enjoyed it, so it seems that Lancing it is in the morning. Wish me luck and I hope there are no sprains or scratches to report...
TTFN.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
A Child-free Week
It would seem that going mobile hasn't lead to an outpouring of any consciousness, whether good or bad. And this in the week where we shouldn't have been as busy as normal because we didn't have the kids! This was the week for their annual pilgrimage to their grandmother's, the GiL, and TW & I had the week to ourselves - just about.
TW took the girls up there on the Friday, and so I had the house to myself when I got home from work in the evening. I watched a bit of Banshee and a bit of The Walking Dead, and probably drank more than I should have. On Saturday I bimbled around the house, waiting for TW to get back , then we went to a friend's 40th Birthday party in Burgess Hill. That was fun, but unfortunately I was the designated driver and so I didn't get to enjoy it as much as everyone else. TW was enjoying the cocktails, and at one stage she was drinking one so strong that she chose to dilute it with prosecco - needless to say, there were a number of casualties.
On the Sunday we took a stroll into Worthing and then stopped at a pub, the Rose and Crown, for a few drinks on the way home. I was following the cricket and England were trying to bowl Pakistan out to win the match on the final day. A few years ago England wouldn't have been able to take 11 wickets in one day, but we had faith in them, and that was rewarded when they lost three quick wickets for 125 - as I was following it on my phone, I saw the score change from 125-5 to 125-6 and then to 125-7. It was a good feeling. I carried on drinking into the evening, as our new lodger arrived, and again, probably drank more than I should have done.
On Monday evening TW had invited some of her girlfriends around for drinks and so we started the week in a boozy manner. I did leave them to it at one point to catch another episode of The Walking Dead but was interrupted as the ladies came inside. It was during quite a touching moment as one of the main characters met their inevitable fate, and they had switched to slow motion and were laying on the emotional music as the zombies crowded around to rip out his guts and bloody intestines. So I switched that off and rejoined the conversation...
Then on Tuesday evening we went out to Efe's restaurant in Worthing which was delicious. We went with friends and had a lovely evening - that's the sort of thing we should do more of.
Wednesday and Thursday we took easy, to recover, and then last night, Friday, we took my parents to the Amex stadium in Brighton for the first home game of the season, because the trains were on strike. Since it didn't make sense to come home and then go back again to pick them up, we pushed on to Lewes and had dinner at Bill's, which was delicious as well. And it was lovely to spend some time together enjoying good food and each other's company.
After we picked up Mum and Dad, TW asked to be dropped in Worthing to meet up with some friends and I have no idea what time she got in, but we're not expecting the girls back until after midday, so she can have a lie-in this morning.
As well as drinking and eating out and socialising, we've done a couple of other things, like negotiate the train strike, take in a new lodger, and buy a new (New to us anyway - others may call it "pre-loved") car, but I may get to those in time. Or, going on past experience, probably not.
TTFN.
TW took the girls up there on the Friday, and so I had the house to myself when I got home from work in the evening. I watched a bit of Banshee and a bit of The Walking Dead, and probably drank more than I should have. On Saturday I bimbled around the house, waiting for TW to get back , then we went to a friend's 40th Birthday party in Burgess Hill. That was fun, but unfortunately I was the designated driver and so I didn't get to enjoy it as much as everyone else. TW was enjoying the cocktails, and at one stage she was drinking one so strong that she chose to dilute it with prosecco - needless to say, there were a number of casualties.
On the Sunday we took a stroll into Worthing and then stopped at a pub, the Rose and Crown, for a few drinks on the way home. I was following the cricket and England were trying to bowl Pakistan out to win the match on the final day. A few years ago England wouldn't have been able to take 11 wickets in one day, but we had faith in them, and that was rewarded when they lost three quick wickets for 125 - as I was following it on my phone, I saw the score change from 125-5 to 125-6 and then to 125-7. It was a good feeling. I carried on drinking into the evening, as our new lodger arrived, and again, probably drank more than I should have done.
On Monday evening TW had invited some of her girlfriends around for drinks and so we started the week in a boozy manner. I did leave them to it at one point to catch another episode of The Walking Dead but was interrupted as the ladies came inside. It was during quite a touching moment as one of the main characters met their inevitable fate, and they had switched to slow motion and were laying on the emotional music as the zombies crowded around to rip out his guts and bloody intestines. So I switched that off and rejoined the conversation...
Then on Tuesday evening we went out to Efe's restaurant in Worthing which was delicious. We went with friends and had a lovely evening - that's the sort of thing we should do more of.
Wednesday and Thursday we took easy, to recover, and then last night, Friday, we took my parents to the Amex stadium in Brighton for the first home game of the season, because the trains were on strike. Since it didn't make sense to come home and then go back again to pick them up, we pushed on to Lewes and had dinner at Bill's, which was delicious as well. And it was lovely to spend some time together enjoying good food and each other's company.
After we picked up Mum and Dad, TW asked to be dropped in Worthing to meet up with some friends and I have no idea what time she got in, but we're not expecting the girls back until after midday, so she can have a lie-in this morning.
As well as drinking and eating out and socialising, we've done a couple of other things, like negotiate the train strike, take in a new lodger, and buy a new (New to us anyway - others may call it "pre-loved") car, but I may get to those in time. Or, going on past experience, probably not.
TTFN.
Sunday, August 07, 2016
Going Mobile
So this is my current set-up:
With this I reckon I can jot down notes from anywhere - on the train, waiting at the station for the train, in the office even. So if we're not careful this blog could become a stream of vacuous nonsense - even more so than it is already.
The keyboard, made by Samsung, was £5 from eBay (with £3.50 p&p); the stand, made by eCandy, was £5 from Amazon (combined with a few other things to ensure free delivery); and the tablet made by Lenovo was just shy of £50 from eBay. So that's not bad going, I think.
I've been carrying both the keyboard and the tablet around with me for a while now, but I believe that this morning is the first time I've paired them, which goes to show how "productive" I shall probably be. But it is amazing how thin and unobtrusive these items are when you chuck them in a messenger bag. I can have the keyboard on my lap as well, so that I can just type out random strings of words while doing something else, like watching TV - there might be a few more reviews of shows coming up - that'll be something to look forward to!
TTFN.
The keyboard, made by Samsung, was £5 from eBay (with £3.50 p&p); the stand, made by eCandy, was £5 from Amazon (combined with a few other things to ensure free delivery); and the tablet made by Lenovo was just shy of £50 from eBay. So that's not bad going, I think.
I've been carrying both the keyboard and the tablet around with me for a while now, but I believe that this morning is the first time I've paired them, which goes to show how "productive" I shall probably be. But it is amazing how thin and unobtrusive these items are when you chuck them in a messenger bag. I can have the keyboard on my lap as well, so that I can just type out random strings of words while doing something else, like watching TV - there might be a few more reviews of shows coming up - that'll be something to look forward to!
TTFN.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Collapsed Lung @ Concorde 2, 23rd July 2016
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Ned's again, at the Concorde 2 in Brighton. They were supported by Collapsed Lung, who had a minor hit with Eat My Goal in 1996 and again in '98, but it was used in a number of programmes and adverts, and so I was looking forward to seeing them too.
Doors opened at 6pm, which was early, but I expect that there was a club night or something on after Ned's - they were due to be wrapped up by 10. I caught the train at 5:08, to be precise, from West Worthing, expecting to be in Brighton by 5:30. Unfortunately the train ran slow and I didn't get my connection at Hove, and so didn't get into Brighton until gone 6pm. I headed straight for Sawadee, a Thai restaurant we used to frequent from time to time when we lived there. I had fishcakes to start, a perennial favourite, and then a Massaman curry, which is flavoured with peanuts - if you like Thai but haven't tried a Massaman, I'd recommend it.
Anyway, I headed from there to the Bristol Arms for a restorative orange juice (no really), and then wandered down to the Concorde. Collapsed Lung had already started by the time I got there, so I went straight through to the main room and listened to their stuff. I was really impressed, they had a good vibe going and although there weren't many people there watching, I think those that were there enjoyed it. The tracks had a vibrancy, one of the main guys (Jim Burke) was quite striking in that he was wearing a moustache, glasses and a baseball cap. And certainly the group seemed to be enjoying themselves, which is always infectious. They played a few new songs, I think, including one called "New Song Old Band" which is going to be a single in November apparently - I enjoyed that. And of course they played "Eat My Goal", which went down a treat with its call and response chorus. And then they were gone. I would certainly go and see them again, given the chance, and who knows when that might be?
I had seen on Twitter that Ned's were due on at 8:40, so I wasn't really in a rush to get the venue. I did wonder why they opened the doors so early? I normally like to get there as early as possible, but to be in the venue from 6pm and the main band weren't playing for two and a half hours? That just seems a little bonkers. Still I was caught out like that when I went to see Cud at The Garage a couple of years ago...
Anyway, the tunes which the DJ played after Collapsed Lung left the stage took me right back to the early 90s... Carter USM, The Weddoes, Jesus Jones, the Stuffies, EMF even, Mega City 4, Senseless Things, Prodigy... Excellent stuff. And then the song announcing the band was an old crackly version of "I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside", and Ned's ambled on to the stage.
They started with a couple of songs I didn't recognise, I thought the first was probably a b-side from something off of BrainBloodVolume, and someone has already put up the set listing here. All the songs were recognisably Ned's tunes, but I didn't recognise them all. I thought that at points the gig was a little dark, as in brooding, but maybe that was due to me being a little jaded - I had been out at a friend's birthday party the night before, and I was a little off-kilter still. The crowd loved it all though, there was a vibrant moshpit at the front, and a couple of crowdsurfers too. Jonn, the lead singer, certainly enjoys throwing himself around the stage while the bassist guys are sawing away at their instruments, and I think that encourages the moshing. As the night went on, and more familiar songs were played, that moshpit extended out further and further, and the dancing was infectious. The band certainly seemed to enjoy it, and almost seemed surprised that so many people recognised their songs. They even threw in a new one, called "Self Defence" by the sound of it, and it fitted in perfectly with the set.
All in all, it was a good night, and it was worth going. I was intending to meet up with an old friend who I've known since I was 17, but unfortunately she couldn't make it due to family commitments. I was looking forward to seeing her after such a long time; maybe I can find another gig to tempt her down to the South Coast at some point in the future...? Anyway, having seen Pixies at the start of July, and with the Wedding Present in August, Ride in September and JimBob in December, it's shaping up to be a good musical year.
Doors opened at 6pm, which was early, but I expect that there was a club night or something on after Ned's - they were due to be wrapped up by 10. I caught the train at 5:08, to be precise, from West Worthing, expecting to be in Brighton by 5:30. Unfortunately the train ran slow and I didn't get my connection at Hove, and so didn't get into Brighton until gone 6pm. I headed straight for Sawadee, a Thai restaurant we used to frequent from time to time when we lived there. I had fishcakes to start, a perennial favourite, and then a Massaman curry, which is flavoured with peanuts - if you like Thai but haven't tried a Massaman, I'd recommend it.
Anyway, I headed from there to the Bristol Arms for a restorative orange juice (no really), and then wandered down to the Concorde. Collapsed Lung had already started by the time I got there, so I went straight through to the main room and listened to their stuff. I was really impressed, they had a good vibe going and although there weren't many people there watching, I think those that were there enjoyed it. The tracks had a vibrancy, one of the main guys (Jim Burke) was quite striking in that he was wearing a moustache, glasses and a baseball cap. And certainly the group seemed to be enjoying themselves, which is always infectious. They played a few new songs, I think, including one called "New Song Old Band" which is going to be a single in November apparently - I enjoyed that. And of course they played "Eat My Goal", which went down a treat with its call and response chorus. And then they were gone. I would certainly go and see them again, given the chance, and who knows when that might be?
I had seen on Twitter that Ned's were due on at 8:40, so I wasn't really in a rush to get the venue. I did wonder why they opened the doors so early? I normally like to get there as early as possible, but to be in the venue from 6pm and the main band weren't playing for two and a half hours? That just seems a little bonkers. Still I was caught out like that when I went to see Cud at The Garage a couple of years ago...
Anyway, the tunes which the DJ played after Collapsed Lung left the stage took me right back to the early 90s... Carter USM, The Weddoes, Jesus Jones, the Stuffies, EMF even, Mega City 4, Senseless Things, Prodigy... Excellent stuff. And then the song announcing the band was an old crackly version of "I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside", and Ned's ambled on to the stage.
They started with a couple of songs I didn't recognise, I thought the first was probably a b-side from something off of BrainBloodVolume, and someone has already put up the set listing here. All the songs were recognisably Ned's tunes, but I didn't recognise them all. I thought that at points the gig was a little dark, as in brooding, but maybe that was due to me being a little jaded - I had been out at a friend's birthday party the night before, and I was a little off-kilter still. The crowd loved it all though, there was a vibrant moshpit at the front, and a couple of crowdsurfers too. Jonn, the lead singer, certainly enjoys throwing himself around the stage while the bassist guys are sawing away at their instruments, and I think that encourages the moshing. As the night went on, and more familiar songs were played, that moshpit extended out further and further, and the dancing was infectious. The band certainly seemed to enjoy it, and almost seemed surprised that so many people recognised their songs. They even threw in a new one, called "Self Defence" by the sound of it, and it fitted in perfectly with the set.
All in all, it was a good night, and it was worth going. I was intending to meet up with an old friend who I've known since I was 17, but unfortunately she couldn't make it due to family commitments. I was looking forward to seeing her after such a long time; maybe I can find another gig to tempt her down to the South Coast at some point in the future...? Anyway, having seen Pixies at the start of July, and with the Wedding Present in August, Ride in September and JimBob in December, it's shaping up to be a good musical year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)