Why me and to many e-mails

Why me? every time I have a holiday I have every intention of getting out flying (as in kites). It is now Wednesday, and I have yet to go out due to weather or family commitments, looking at the next four days I won't be holding my breath, no\low wind forecast for tomorrow and then in completely the wrong direction for the next three days. I can't bring myself to look at Mondays but I bet it will be perfect!! It is time like this that I wish I lived somewhere like Westward Ho! where the beach is on my doorstep rather than 2.5 hours drive away.

As it was absolutely pouring down today I decided to do a job I have been putting of for ages, consolidating my e-mail accounts. As much as I hate to admit it, I have 9 e-mail accounts a couple of them are old and just used for reference and a couple that just had the occasional e-mail from a mailing list or forum. So today I sat down and started to move forum logins mailing list etc. over to a couple of the e-mail accounts I intend to keep. Hopefully I will be down to 5 e-mail accounts by the time I have finished as well as un-subscribing from 3 mailing lists that I never read. Hopefully my e-mail client will stop creaking at the seams now.

Tomorrow I think I will go for a walk, I had intended to do that today (after deciding the wind was no good) but the rain put pay to that. Will have my son with me tomorrow so will need to make it interesting for a nine year old still thinking where we can go, have to be back by mid afternoon as I have to drive the wife to an interview just as rush hour starts.

We don't help ourselves

I was sat on the beach today and the wind was blowing quite strongly (it was 20 to 25mph while I was there) watching the kite surfer (I was actually trying to photograph them but with the wind buffeting me about and the fact my lens was not big enough........). Anyway one of the kite surfers went to his car and produced a wind meter, what followed next was a failure to read the manual for the wind meter as nobody knew which button to press to get the correct display, but it also revealed another problem, what scale should you display the wind speed in?? should it be as I have above mph, or should it be kph? but as kite surfing is classed as sailing then it should be measured via the Beaufort scale or knots, but then these guys are athletic so should we measure the wind like they do for athletic meetings, meter per second?????

If we are going to measure something that moves from "a" to "b" why do we need so many different scales to measure how fast it moved between the two points?? One of the web sites (its a sailing web site) I use gives me the option to have the wind speed in four different scales (MPH, KPH, Knots, Mtr/s), another web site (general weather) will let me enter the wind speed in one scale and it will convert it into the other fours for me. You watch the weather forecast (well the one I see anyway), the inland wind speed is measured in mph, but when it is measured over the sea it is measured via the Beaufort scale! Why are we trying to confuse ourselves, can't we have one scale that we use to record the wind speed and stick with that??

Unfortunately which scale to measure wind speed is not the only thing we don't learn lesson from. One of the most important aspects of safety in kite surfing is wearing a leash so that if you have to release the kite (let go) it won't blow away from you. You would think that with the kites costing upwards of a £1000 that the flyer's would be ever so keen to wear a leash, well apparently not for one flyer who lost (as in let go) his kite this morning, his kite proceed in the down wind direction (e.g. the direction of the wind), across a main road before impaling itself on a block of flats. Unfortunately I missed the action as I was facing the other way having just received a call on my mobile. First I knew about it was when I nearly got trampled by other kite surfer rushing to the wayward kite fearing there was a kite flyer still attached to it. A few choice words were offered by the would be rescuer concerning the safety of the flyer.

Bank Holiday and its raining

Yes it is bank holiday Monday and its raining but can't really complain and the last two days have been lovely, sunny and warm. Yesterday we made it to the Eastleigh Railway works (which was son surprise birthday present). I must say I was a little disappointed, while there were a lot of train outside the sheds the inside were basically gutted, (British railway, as they were pulled out of the buildings several years ago) when I visited the shed some 20 years ago at another open weekend they were full of carriages and trains in various stages of being rebuilt. I remember seeing a large display about the wheels (the old joke about the wrong kind of leaves on the line) with examples of wheels that had been flat spotted and another machine to look at the wheels for cracks. Yesterday those large empty caverns (with many in need of repair) were full of model railway stalls and memorabilia stalls.

Unfortunately we had to cut short the trip as my knee gave up and there was very little in the way of seating and the other half had the head ache from hell and forgot to pack the head ache tablets. At least we got back early which meant we could lounge around out in the garden soaking up the sun.

Not sure what today hold for us, will probably download the railway pictures from the camera, need to find my knee support that seems to have disappeared and subject to the rain and my knee might go for a wander this afternoon.

Part II

Well the early morning rain was just that, early morning rain, by 11-00am the sun was poking out from behind the clouds, daughter had taken her brother of our hands for a few hours so we jumped in the car and went to Swanage. I found my knee support and wore that for the day, made my knee fill a lot better walking around the town and up the damm big hill we climbed. Not sure why but we climb this hill in the park which takes you up to the cliffs between the coast guard look out at Dancing Ledge and the Durlston. Boy am I unfit (but then I knew that anyway), had to stop half way up, my excuse is it was a big hill.

Walking around Swanage I decided that I don't like those families that walk 5 abreast along the sea front, they wander along two of the kids will be fighting or chasing each other, the mum will be telling little johnny to keep away for the edge just as uncle Roy grabs him and pretends to push him over the edge, the husband is telling the mum-in-law that they don't sell that sort of thing in the shops any more, and the wife telling the husband to not be so rude to her mum and all the while totally oblivious to the obstruction they are causing.

Swanage has a nice little shop (well in fact it is two) Rainbows End, it sells clothing a hippy-ish, goth-ish type for both male and female although it is mainly female. Certainly not cheap but it is the stuff you won't find in the high street shops but when you see somebody wearing it you think I want one of those where did you get it.

We left early as daughter was working tonight so we had to be back to look after son. I was expecting a slow drive with all the traffic leaving Swanage but we flew back without any hold ups. Got home before son & daughter got back and managed a couple more hours of slow roasting in the garden before the sun hid behind the storm clouds, had one lighting flash so far, let see what the night brings.

and so it came to pass

Today was one of those days where you plan out everything that must be done and for the best part most of it did get done. I was awake early this morning, not sure why but the pig impersonation from the person next to me probably did not help. Got up at 7.30am before son left the house with his sister for a shopping trip to Southampton. If I tell him the ground rules before he leaves then I don't have to put up with an agitated daughter phoning up to ask me to talk to son who won't do as he is told.

We never did the weekly shop last night so we went this morning, done all the shopping and back home by 10-30am. Had a cup of tea and then out again looking for one of those items we could not get at the other shops, also spent some time looking at new ovens (one of the ovens in our cooker is dead and it to old to look at repairing), went in to a large national white goods store and they had 6 electric free standing hob\cookers, just 6, if you wanted a range cooker with 3 ovens and 9 gas burners you had a choice of over 12, am I missing something here? Just got to work out when we can afford to buy a new one

This afternoon we cut the grass and erected the gazebo, with the extra bonus this year that it has side panels. Mother in-law wrecked their gazebo last year so they past the side panels they had for their on to us. So now we have a blue and white striped gazebo with green and white striped side panels...............nice.

Sat in said gazebo watching the world go by until it was time to ignite the BBQ. Now I am normally quite good with the BBQ but tonight was naff, it lit and started ok but for some reason I could not get the cooking right, the stuff that takes time to cook was cooking to quick and the stuff that cooks quickly was not cooking, just could not get my act together. Eventually had all the food cooked off and sat down out side to eat it. Once I had finished eating I returned to sitting there watching the world go by when I heard the beep beep of a text message arriving on a mobile phone. This single thing reminded me of an anniversary (which I mentioned a few days ago) I would prefer to forget. I think the actual date is in a couple of days time but the fact was it was the bank holiday weekend. Until that mobile went off I had forgotten all about it, but it was a text message that set the ball rolling 5 days earlier. Well I can't change it so I might as well stop talking about it.

Tomorrow were taking our son out for his final birthday surprise, another early start and pack lunches to make as well, let just hope he enjoys it.

Yeah, it is a Bank Holiday

Its a bank holiday weekend, it is going to be sunny for two of the three days and I also have all of next week off as well, that a nice thought to finish work with on a Friday. Today was a pretty calm day for a change, managed to finish my 4 proposal early, sorted out a PC I was preparing for when I am back at work and only a couple of annoying phone calls and all handled from the comfort of my dining room (which looks more like an office).

Not got a lot planned for next week yet, would like to get the kites out but there is a fair on at the flying field so will have to see how thing go on that front. Will probably take the camera out but not sure where yet. Will be doing the garden tomorrow so that a) it will be one job out of the way and b) assuming it nice weather I will spend it bit of time resting in the garden!!

Sunday I have to get my anorak out the cupboard, I have to admit to being a train spotter in my younger day and still have a passing interest in trains, so with the Eastleigh Railway Works 100 years open weekend this bank holiday and with my sons interest in train it is the ideal place for a day out on Sunday. I will be taking my camera but I think I will leave the little book of train numbers at home :o

And finally is anybody reading my blogs??? a simple yes will suffice beginning to thing I am alone in my own little world

Talked into it again

After watching the speedway on TV last night (British individual finals) and my comments about no hints for her indoor's about a present for her impending birthday, I found myself ordering tickets for the British Speedway Grand Prix in Cardiff on the 27th June. I only started out looking at the prices, then we looked at the family deal tickets, then exactly where the seats were, next thing I know I am being told to put my card details in then I am printing out my order confirmation. How did that happen?? at least it one less thing to think about, I can now think about the drive to Cardiff instead............

Today I decided to work from home (have several proposals to write up). I also needed to post a parcel and thought I would take it over the local post office and post it, only 5 minute walk away. So I go to the post office, I tell the clerk I want it to go first class, he ask me to put it on the scales and I get told it is £2.74p, so I duly go to hand the clerk my company credit card (I had no cash on me and it was a company parcel anyway) and he tells me that they do not accept credit cards, pardon?? You can pay with a debit card, maybe but the money comes out of my account and this is a company parcel (it is only £2.74 I know but, do you want the argument with the company accounts department?). So now tomorrow I have to drive to the local branch and pay twice as much for a carrier to collect the parcel and deliver it. I thought the post office was looking for people to use their services, declining credit card is not exactly going to help their cause is it.

The joy of working from home is you can get so much more done than when you are sat in the office. A morning work at home is like a days work in the office. I have done several days working from home and I have to be honest by the end of the third day I was suffering from cabin fever, the fourth day I just had to go into the office, us human are a social race after all.

I have been known to sit out in the garden in the summer working, taking phone call is interesting as the caller can't quite work out why they can here birds twittering away in the background. I must admit I do enjoy the freedom of working from home. No traffic jams driving into the office, no traffic jams driving home, start early, pop to the shop and finish late.

I am also fortunate that I have two connection to the outside world at home and I can access both companies networks from home as well, at the end of the day there are only a few IT things I can't do from home which certainly make my life easier.

I never get the full story and Mamby Pamby Sports stars

I got asked to collect some IT equipment from one of our branches yesterday, they are having a clear out in one building and the bosses felt it was safer if I collected the IT bits rather than leave it to those clearing the building out. Well I decided to do it today as I am busy Thursday and Friday and on holiday next week. I had intended to get to the branch, collect the bits do a couple of hours work and then drive back to another branch on the way home for a meeting later in the afternoon.

When I reached said branch I was met with a completely gutted office, somebody had forgotten to tell me that they were re-carpeting the entire office today. I eventually found where they had setup home for the day in the building they were going to be clearing out, hidden behind piles of furniture! That's was problem one, problem two was that the equipment I was supposed to be clearing out was newer than the equipment that was in the main office so branch manager wanted to keep the newer stuff and let me take the older stuff, not a problem, except that all the older equipment was in the store room at the far end of the office that they were re-carpeting and the floor was covered in glue!!!

Trying to explain to the MD (who turned up) what I was doing there and the fact that I had to wait until the carpet was laid before I could collect the equipment was fun

The talk at work today was football, when I was asked my opinion about some forthcoming match I expressed my believe that most players are a bunch of mamby pamby overpaid fairies. This was met with a silence which was eventually broken with the question "what sport do you follow then"? That's easy, Speedway and Rugby (union variety). My Speedway comment was met with, "Speedway? that not a real sport", well I may be wrong here but four riders racing around a track at upto 70mph without brakes shows a lot more skill and courage than some guy trying to kick a leather ball into a net and falls over if anybody get within 3ft of him. You watch a Speedway meeting and see what happens when these guys come off their bikes. Nine times out of ten the guy will get up and start to walk back to the pits ready to come out in the re-run. A footballer falls over and he is rolling around like he has just been run down by a herd of elephants.

Ok I will admit some football player have some good ball skills but the way they act in (what is called) the national game, gimme a break most of them are a bunch of prima donna's. If want to a real game with a leather ball then watch a rugby match, those guys play hard and rough and that is part of the game.

Football is all about the look, the adulation and the money, very little of it is about the game.